For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39 (NRSVUE)
I got a new pair of prescription sunglasses last November that I am now finally able to begin to use regularly. It is a pretty exciting thing for me to have real sunglasses. I have always felt left out of the fun of summertime sunglass wearing. I have been wearing glasses full-time since I was about 10 years old, so I was quite young when I could no longer simply stop by a convenience store to grab a cheap pair. When I was little, that ritual of buying a cheap pair for the summer was always part of day one on vacation, something to be done before hitting the beach. It marked the beginning of summer break. Before long, though, those cheap pairs did me no good as I couldn’t see a thing without my glasses. I missed out on all of the latest trends in cool shades throughout my teens and young adult years. Instead, whenever I got new glasses we would get my old ones tinted so that they could be sunglasses, but they never looked like sunglasses, just regular glasses with a weird dark tint. Eventually I starting getting sunglasses that go over the top of your glasses. The style of these had improved from completely uncool to acceptable, but that’s about as far as they can get, fashion-wise (or maybe it’s just that I lost track of what counted as uncool – that is probably more likely!)
At any rate, I decided last year that it was time to treat myself to a pair of prescription sunglasses; ones that were designed to be sunglasses and not just an old pair with a tint. I am still getting used to having to switch from one pair of glasses to the other, to be honest. Most of the time that I wear the sunglasses is while I am driving, so I’m not exactly making a huge fashion statement with them. I can’t yet say that they are worth the money – it probably will depend on how many years I will eventually get to wear them. Still, there is an excitement that comes with putting on a pair of sunglasses for me, even if it is not something that anyone else would notice or care about. It is a little flicker of joy on bright sunny days. I may never get another pair, but there is something to having the real thing at least for a time.
At the same time, I wasn’t ever really missing out on anything. A pair of sunglasses is not really a big deal at all. I was not exactly socially ostracized for my lack of them. Yet we can so easily separate ourselves over inconsequential things. We can feel alienated over the smallest difference. Part of the message of grace is that no matter what differences and divisions we might feel, none of them can separate us from God. We may try to find ways to build that separation, but God is persistent in overcoming all of these tactics we use. Come comes to us relentlessly and lovingly. God does more than include us, God pursues us no matter what reason we find to feel outside that love. What great news that is!