I’m a full-steam-ahead kind of person. This can have its perks — I’m always planning and never stuck in the past. But there’s a shadow side, too — I can be so caught up in what will be (or might be) that I lose track of what is.

I often find myself so distracted, caught up in all my daily to-dos, that I miss the gifts of grace right in front of me. The first inhale of fresh air as I step outside. The perfect song on the radio as I turn the key in the ignition. The maple leaf’s satisfying crunch under my feet as I venture down the doorsteps to check the mail. 

Life is made up of a million little glimmers — small, seemingly ordinary glimpses of goodness that bring light into our everyday lives.

These glimmers of hope are all around us, but it’s easy to be too distracted to notice them. 

Deb Dana, a therapist who specializes in complex trauma, first shared the term “glimmers” in her book The Polyvagal Theory in Therapy. She describes glimmers as “micro-moments” that foster feelings of well-being. “Glimmers routinely appear in everyday life, yet frequently go unnoticed,” she writes.

What would it take for you to stop thinking about the future, even just for a moment, to glimpse the holy hiding in the mess of the everyday? Noticing these small, sacred moments — the steam hovering over your morning coffee, the flame of a candle dancing on your bedside table — can restore our bodies and even rewire our brains.

God made us to notice. Because when we notice, we restore and renew our weary minds, bodies, and souls.

Research shows that our nervous systems, often in survival mode, benefit from noticing glimpses of goodness. Paying attention to even the briefest positive emotion can help nurture our nervous systems and build resilience. 

How often are you in survival mode, moving from one thing to the next, shoulders tight and heart heavy, just trying to make it through another day? Maybe you’re caught in an unending cycle of work and worry, with little room for joy. But glimmers are always there, like the sunlight filtering through your window just so, illuminating tiny particles of dust that seem to dance in midair.

These moments, small as they may seem, can help us feel safer and more grounded. Psalm 34:8 invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good” – because when we do, we find refuge in the One who loves us and will never leave us. God is present in it all, beckoning us to experience goodness in everyday glimpses of grace.

Maybe it seems flippant to look for small glimmers. After all, our world is spinning at hyperspeed. Division, discord, and distraction shout for our attention. Our world, our countries, our neighborhoods, and even our own families sometimes struggle to find common ground. We can get so caught up in what-ifs and worries that we lose sight of the beauty nestled into the here and now. Even in life’s chaos, Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

Glimmers in our fantastic, dirty, messy, holy lives remind us that over and over again, we are offered a chance to receive restoration. Each sunrise brings new mercy, and every glimmer of hope hidden in the corners of our lives reminds us of God’s faithful presence in the present moment.

Noticing small signs of hope doesn’t mean denying the shadows or ignoring the realities of a weary world; instead, it keeps us going, giving us the strength to keep showing up. When we stay awake to the glimmers in front of us, we reorient our hearts to the Everlasting Light.

Glimmers remind us that though the world may grow dark, we are safe and held in the loving arms of Christ.

In Strong Like Water, my friend Aundi Kolber, a licensed professional counselor, contrasts glimmers as a delightful counterweight to the triggers we have in our lives. “If a trigger is anything (smell, taste, experience, person, etc.) that activates an embodied memory of a past threat or trauma, a glimmer is something that helps us connect with a sense of our felt safety.”

The briefest glimmer — like a crumpled $5 bill you find in last year’s coat pocket or the flow of your favorite pen as you write a grocery list — can act as nudges to the depth of your soul that you are safe. That you are seen. And that you are loved – right here, right now.

What would it look like to open yourself to noticing the glimmers in your life today? Maybe it’s slowing down to breathe in the earthy smell of new beginnings after an afternoon downpour or taking a minute to delight in the simple satisfaction of finishing a good book (or starting a new one). 

Take a minute. What glimmer might be hiding in plain sight?

Can you smell that freshly cut grass? Do you see how your loved one’s eyes crinkle when you walk through the door? Can you hear the birds singing in the distance? Do you feel the way that ice-cold sparkling water tickles your tongue?

God is with you now, offering grace to light your way through the darkness.

Will you notice?

A Breath Prayer for Noticing Glimmers
From the “Noticing” chapter in the fall section of Every Season Sacred, you can use this simple breath prayer to help you notice the glimmers of grace all around:

Inhale: Help me see You
Exhale: In and around me

May glimmers light your path, helping you notice and name even the tiniest reflections of God’s goodness in the days ahead.

 

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