“Mama, you get to open another present!!” Ava calls out every morning as she digs through the basket to find the number that corresponds with the number she opened on her advent calendar. She hands me the present and is nearly as excited as I am to see what lies beneath the gilded paper. I say nearly because honestly I love opening presents. The opening process is so exciting it often eclipses the actual present–I love the anticipation, the surprise, the hidden treasure.And what a treasure trove this basket has been! How could this dear friend know that I would have bronchitis and be sick of every tea in my cupboard by the fifth day of advent or that on the eight day I would have red candles on my shopping list? How could she predict that on the sixth day of advent, I would replace all the pictures on my mantle with Christmas pictures from the past several years and need red wrapping paper to matte 4 x 6 pictures in 5 x 7 frames. It’s like each gift is perfectly appointed for each day.

These well intentioned gifts remind me of one my favorite verses. I keep this verse neatly folded in my back pocket and pull out some part of it almost every time I pray: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning (just like my advent gifts). Great is your faithfulness, Oh Lord. [Lamentations 3:22-23]

I love the promise that each morning there are fresh new mercies for that day. And it never ceases! There is never a day that the God of love does not lay out some mercy of some kind for you. They don’t always appear wrapped in shiny paper and neatly tucked into a basket, but they are there just the same. God is faithful to his name and his promises. Some mornings I have to say to myself, “Rachel, there are mercies for you this day. It doesn’t look like it yet, but there are! You know that God is faithful, so now go and find them.”

During this Advent season as we wait for the greatest mercy of all, I encourage you to go and find the gifts that are wrapped up and laid out for you each morning by your Savior. I promise you that if you acknowledge them, your advent song will surpass the one here.