Want to integrate more prayer into your life? Try the password prayer.
Not long ago, The Company where I work adopted new password standards. Passwords must be of a certain length, may not contain dictionary words, and must contain at least one upper-case letter, one number, and one punctuation mark.
The passwords generated by this process are very secure … and very hard to remember, especially since The Company requires them to be changed once a month!
To make things easier, The Company’s security personnel suggested we select an easily-remembered phrase (like “To be or not to be, that is the question!”) and translate this into a password using a combination of the first letters of most words, letters and numbers that sound like words, and punctuation marks. For example: “To be or not to be , that is the question !” becomes “2Bon2B,tit?!“
In my line of work, I type in passwords dozens of times a day … so it occurred to me that, instead of drawing on Shakespeare, I could translate a short prayer into a password. For example: “God, help me to be an example of your peace!” becomes “G,hm2Baeoyp!” The process also works well with comforting snippets of Scripture, with “Be still and know that I am God” becoming “Bs&NOtIaG.”
The Password Prayer has much to recommend it:
– Life is hectic, and we don’t always have time to pray or find stillness as often as we need to. The Password Prayer takes just seconds, but can become your password to great calm, even on a busy day.
– The Password Prayer works by repetition. How much time do you spend typing in passwords every day? If you create a Password Prayer based on a personal goal, you’ll be reminded of that goal — and reminded to pray about it — several times a day.
– The Password Prayer changes over time. As times change, so do our challenges. Changing your Password Prayer to address your latest challenge addresses your spiritual needs on an ongoing basis … and keeps your password more secure, to boot!
Author’s Note: Just so the computer police at the Company won’t get all twitchy, I should note that the passwords mentioned in this article are not passwords I’ve actually used — they’re just examples.
In addition, I’d recommend readers not use any of the examples cited in this article as your actual passwords, no matter how attractive their sentiments may be. Your passwords will be more secure — and your prayers more effective — if you choose a Password Prayer that speaks to your personal experience.
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