Inch by Inch, Life is a Cinch

It's almost 30 years ago when a woman who at that point had just turned 100 passed on to me the secret of how to live a long and joyful life. For as we joined in the festivities for her 100th Birthday, along with everyone else we listened to her life philosophy. And when she was asked the question how did she maintain her health and vitality at the age of 100, she answered with a twinkle in her eye with these words:

Over my 100 plus years, I have seen many things. Much of these things has been wonderful but not all of it. And when life got toughest or when we were in the midst of a difficult time I would remember the wisdom of the words I was raised on which were these:

"Inch by inch, life is a Cinch."

You see long before I got to be a hundred and people thought of me as having the wisdom of age, I knew that what the Scripture taught were right. Worry has never added one moment of time to anyone's life. I don't worry, I trust in the Lord and in that trust I find my strength and hope for today and tomorrow.

Inch by inch, life is a cinch, it sounds so simple, but how do we put that practice into our daily life when there always seems to be so many items of concern to worry about.

As we reflect upon that question, let us consider the message that our Lord was giving to his first disciples when he told them not to worry beyond the moments of each day. For it is a message that we all need to hear as we consider how we can live a life that is full and abundant each day and forever!

Let us begin our reflection by considering the value of worrying. This will be easy because you see there is no value or gain to worrying. I used to think that worrying was helpful because it helped us to identify problems that we were facing. But then I realized I was putting the cart before the horse. If we had not already identified a problem, then we would not have something to worry about.

No, we don't need to worry to find a problem because the problems will always be there. So when we are worrying, we are using our energy on a non-productive activity, rather than using that energy to start to figure out what would be the best way to deal with or cope with a problem we are facing.

Matthew 6:27 Our Lord knew that for His first disciples to face and overcome the challenges in their lives, they would be best served by not wasting energy worrying about tomorrow but rather by responding each day to the concerns that are always present in our individual and collective lives.

Think about the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Yes, it is only human that we are distracted by questions about the long-term impact of this tragedy, but rather than focus on that unknown future, isn't it far more productive for us to consider how we can contribute to the immediate response to this tragedy.

Tomorrow, there may be a whole new set of questions and priorities but for today the need to get food and water to these sisters and brothers in need is the first priority that deserves our undistracted attention and energy.

And of course, as great as this tragedy is, we know that it is not the only concern that we have on our hearts this day as we come to Worship and prepare to celebrate the Lord's Supper. But for this tragedy and all of the other concerns that we have, we know that our worry will not produce one single bit of good.

So today, let us make a commitment that we know we won't always be able to keep. It is the commitment to end the waste of our precious energy and time on the useless and draining worry and to replace that worry with a faith in God and in our God given ability to face any challenge and still find the strength and hope to deal with and cope with the challenges of our individual and collective lives. Yes, inch by inch, life is a cinch. Worry doesn't add energy and life, rather it subtracts those precious gifts.

When our Lord instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, he knew that His disciples would face great challenges in their lives. The same is true for us as His disciples of this age. For them and for us and for all people our Lord gave to us the gift of this Sacrament as a reminder of His ongoing presence with us at all times and in all situations.

So let us come to the Table of the Lord and place our concerns into His hands as we celebrate this Holy Supper and His promise to be with us in all things, even the tragedies of life, until the close of the age. For as we remember His presence with us, our worry will be replaced by His peace that truly passes all human understanding or limitations.

Pastor Stephen Giordano — September 4, 2005

The Massapequa Reformed Church
302 Ocean Avenue
Massapequa, NY 11758
(516)799-5158 • Fax (516)799-4725
E-mail