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.
Leave a Comment
Lisa Wilt says
Kayla,
I shared your devotion because GLIMMERS are powerful pointers to God so much so that I wrote a devotional named Glimmers Of Glory: Discovering God Moments in the Gloomy!
Sending You Autumn Joy,
Lisa Wilt
Kayla Craig says
Ah, that’s so great, Lisa!
geralyn says
I love this post and the idea of glimmers and how that connects us to the Light.
thank you for posting.
Kayla says
Thank you for taking the time to read, Geralyn. ✨
Janet W says
Thank you Kayla. I love this idea! Thank you…
I will notice \0/
Kayla says
It’s amazing what we notice when we are on the lookout!
Irene says
This is lovely, Kayla! I’m going to try to do this.
Kayla says
Thank you, Irene. I hope you feel God’s love today.
Madeline says
WOW!
Kayla Craig says
Thank you for reading!
Dawn Ferguson-Little says
Kayla love what you wrote in today’s devotional. In a dark world notice the glimmers too. We can be followers of Jesus wrapped up in our own worlds thinking of our own things that we have to do and get done before in our own worlds. We can forget about the world around us what going on it. That we can forget those who are hurting in it. That we forget those in our community around us that are hurting and in other parts of the world. Even if we know someone in our community that is hurting. Say to ourselves I have enough of my own things to do with my Family. Someone else can see if they are ok. What would Jesus want you do? Like the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible be one or leave them and walk away like some did in the Bible story. Expect for the Samaritan who showed Jesus love to the person. I think Jesus would want us especially that are saved to be a good Samaritan. To the person that is hurting. They could only want us to call see them and give them a hug. Tell them especially if saved Jesus understands your pain and what your going through. Let’s pray to him. Then if you can help them if got free time to do it. If not got much time still go to see them anyway and let them know you will be praying for them. All these little things in there lives can help them give them that glimmer of hope. Yes there are people out there who care and ones that don’t. Even we care by going to see them giving them a hug and That can make them feel better even if doesn’t take the pain or what they are going through away. Just to know you cared can make that big difference in their lives because you called to see them. Even if the person not saved you can do the same. Letting them know you are praying for them. Give them a hug and tell them Jesus understands and cares. You never know all this could make them see Jesus in you want what you have that is Jesus to be their saviour too. You can be that person that gives them the glimmer of hope. When they probably thought there was none. That is what Jesus love is all about helping people giving them a glimmer of hope knowing you cared. I often done that with people that are saved and some not saved. By telling them Jesus understands knows your pain and what your going through. That your praying for them. Even the people in other parts of the world that we see on news on TV that are living through things we will probably never experience like wars killing and bombings. Some loose loved ones which is sad. We can pray for them and the people doing this that they will find Jesus and stop what they are doing. People going through all this will know Jesus is with them. They might never know we are praying for them. But Jesus knows. We will be rewarded in Glory for praying. If don’t get when on earth. By doing all this we are bringing glimmers of hope in a dark world. That what Jesus would want us to do. As Jesus prayed and showed people that he cared when he walked earth. If we care especially if saved we are to do the same.
Love Dawn Ferguson-Little Enniskillen Co.Fermanagh N.Ireland xx
Kayla says
Dawn, thanks so much for taking the time to share today. I hope you continue to experience the grace of God in the glimmers of your days.
Shauna says
Such a timely reminder for me! Just today I was watching my granddaughter’s expression as she was playing and noticed the precious way she focuses when she is very intent on something.
Kayla Craig says
That’s such a sweet thing to notice! I’m sure you felt a deep swell of love in that little moment, Shauna. ☺️
Bethany says
I love this reminder going into a new season! And it’s amazing how paying attention to glimmers not only aligns our heart towards God AND it’s actually good for our health! Love all you shared in here on paying attention to our nervous system. Thanks, Kayla!
Kayla Craig says
Yes! It is so fascinating to me that modern science is undergirds so much of what we see in Scripture! Thanks for reading, Bethany!