On the first day of Christmas my True Love gave to me...

Shh! Can you keep a secret? You can’t tell! My husband’s Christmas gift has been sitting on our kitchen counter for two weeks and he doesn’t know it! It’s wrapped up in a beautiful, decorative box that is quite ornate. The uniquely shaped box he assumes to be a new Christmas decoration is actually a gift he has been hinting for for quite some time! He walks by it every day and has no idea! He stands within inches of his present and reads the mail! I have to admit, I enjoy being a little sneaky and the thought of hidden treasures makes me smile.

Do you realize that God has hidden treasures all around you today? He understands that life can take a toll on your heart--especially around the holidays--so He gives you extra measures of love. He may not have placed them in brightly colored boxes on your kitchen countertops, but they are there!

Where are these hidden Christmas gifts from God? Perhaps God has given you a measure of His love in a phone call from a friend who just called to check on you after she knew you had an important doctor’s appointment. Just the fact that she cared spoke volumes to your heart! (A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.--Proverbs 25:11) Remember your pastor’s sermon that really seemed to speak to your heart? Maybe God was being a little sneaky and placed that in your pastor’s heart just for you. How many times have you gotten an email with just what you needed for the struggle you were going through on a particular day? God had placed a hidden treasure right in front of you--right on your computer screen! Something as simple as an encouraging book you found in a Christian book store, or even a song on the radio can remind you of the love God has for you in troubling times. Perhaps you’ve never considered that encounters such as these can be more than just coincidences and could actually be hidden gifts from God to help you through the difficulties life brings!

Remember when you were a little kid? Did you sneak around the house at Christmas time, trying your best to find the Christmas gifts you knew were hidden somewhere just out of sight? Why not be like that again? Look around you for the hidden treasures of God’s love. Could that song be God’s way of reminding me that He really is Emmanuel, God with me? He won’t leave me--ever!

Who could ever be a truer love of our souls than God Himself? As we draw closer and closer to Christmas, the day we set aside to celebrate the most breathtaking Gift ever given, my heart and mind have been captivated by the multitude of undeserved gifts God has provided through the birth of His Son. Over the next 12 days, won’t you join me on a treasure hunt? Let’s slip in the stable and eavesdrop on new parents as they ooh and ahh over the sweet, tiny treasure on Mary’s lap. I can’t wait to hear Zecharias finally tell his story after months of angel-induced laryngitis! Oh the riches of his experience! Each aspect of this timeless story unwraps a precious gift straight from God’s heart to our very own.

God loves you. He’s passionate about you. He wants to show you His love for you. And when you find His gifts of love, I believe He smiles.