December 15, 2025

Introduction

The Christmas season is always a special time. There are glitter and lights to remind us of the upcoming holiday. As Christians, we look forward to celebrating our Savior’s birth. However, with gift buying, Christmas parties, decorating, and so much more, we can lose track of why we celebrate this special day. Today our friend Gina Gholston shares a personal story of how Jesus recaptured her attention. Her title is:

He Takes My Breath Away

Several years ago, a couple of days before Christmas, I was rushing around, doing some last-minute shopping. I went inside one of those stores where everything costs a dollar. While looking for gift bags near the front of the store, I heard the doorbell ring, announcing that another customer had entered the already over-crowded shop. The aisles were packed with shoppers who were in a hurry to get things done and get home. The joy and reason for the season seemed to have been lost in the rush, but that was all about to change!

There was really no need for a doorbell to give an alert for this family’s entrance, for from them rang out the voice of a very excited little boy, accompanied by his grandmother and brother. The quiet and reserved older boy appeared to be around eight years old. The smaller one was about six, and he was far from quiet and reserved. He had one speed: fast! His voice had one volume: loud! We would soon discover that the grandmother had brought them there to buy presents for their family.

While bending over slightly and grasping the small boy’s arm, I overheard Grandmother explain to the children, “Now, you each have only $10. That’s all you have, so spend it wisely.”

“TEN DOLLARS! We can buy EVERYBODY a gift for TEN DOLLARS!”

You guessed it….The little guy had been informed that, in his understanding, he had just won the lottery. His eyes were wide with wonder and his feet were ready to run! It was all the grandmother and brother could do to keep him calm.

Suddenly, my gift bags didn’t matter quite as much. I was totally intrigued by this scene before me. Up and down the aisles they went. The older boy quietly put his selected gifts into the cart, with Grandmother’s smile of approval. The little guy…well, he was announcing to the world his selections and who they were for. With a gleam in his eye, he reached to get a selection of fake flowers, saying very loudly, “THIS IS FOR MOMMY!” and “THIS CUP IS FOR GRANDPA. He needs a new cup!” On and on he bounced through the store, to the chagrin of some other shoppers, but they didn’t deter him, not one bit. He was on a mission!

After about an hour, the boys found their treasures. I could tell that Grandmother was tired, but there was a twinkle in her eyes for the joy she knew this little trip to the dollar store was bringing her grandchildren.

They got into the very long line. There was only one cashier and another lady helping bag the items. I was standing by the gift bags, captivated by this joyous mission I had watched. The little boy was fidgety and the line just wasn’t moving fast enough for him. Finally, the time came for their purchases to be made. “I have TEN DOLLARS!” he announced to the cashier. She smiled graciously.

The older boy placed all his items on the counter. The cashier rang up his purchases, and then it was the little one’s turn. There were at least ten people in the long line behind them, obviously growing more and more impatient, looking at their watches, and rolling their eyes. You get the picture. But the little guy was oblivious to the world around him. He had captured the joy of the season, and wasn’t about to let a few scrooges ruin his moment!

Placing one item at a time on the counter, he announced to the clerk and the whole store once again who would be receiving each item: “THIS ONE’S FOR MOMMY! THIS ONE’S FOR GRANDPA…” On and on until each gift was broadcast to all.

As he was placing the last gift on the counter, the lady behind the cashier stepped aside for a moment, exposing a shelf on the wall behind her. On that shelf were thick glass trinkets with carvings inside them. One of the carvings held an image of the face of Jesus.

Suddenly, when the little boy saw the glass trinket with Jesus inside, he gasped so deeply it felt as if he sucked all the air out of the room. Then he adamantly declared, “I WANT JESUS! I’VE GOT TO HAVE THAT JESUS!” Grandma explained to him, “Honey, you’ve already spent your money. You made your choices.”

His response in that moment shifted the atmosphere in the entire store, and took my breath away.

“I’ll put it ALL back if I can just have that Jesus! Please, Grandma, I’ve got to have that Jesus!” As much effort as he put into searching for his treasures, none of that mattered now. He was willing to go without them if it meant he could have Jesus.

Suddenly, through the voice of a small child, we were all touched, even jolted back into proper perspective regarding what the season was actually about. I could see through the tears in my own tears that many of the other patrons had also been deeply touched by what just happened. Everyone was quiet, then the man in line behind Grandmother and the boys told the cashier to give the trinket to the boy, and he would pay for it.

I was so moved by what I had just seen, that I abandoned my quest for gift bags and went back to my car, collecting my thoughts. As I sat there, quietly reflecting on what had just happened, I heard the Lord say, “That touched Me, too.” Then this question flooded my being, “When was the last time Jesus took your breath away?”

In our fast-paced hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, we often lose sight of the One who is the reason for the season. Born in that manger was the Son of God who came to live and die for each of us, taking on Himself the sins of the world. Our sacrificial Lamb completed His assignment, and through our acceptance of Him as Savior, we, who were in the world without hope and without God, can be reconciled unto God, grafted in to His family. Yeshua! Savior! May we all truly behold Him this season. And may the treasures that were most valuable pale in comparison to the beauty of the One who has made us His own!

In all the craziness of this world today, I pray that each of us will find that place and moment when Jesus recaptures our attention. As we truly behold Him, may everything else fade away as we once again, see the beauty of the One our soul loves. It is my sincere prayer that during this Christmas season, we will see Him again. Spend time with Him. Allow Him to take your breath away, as if seeing Him for the very first time!

Pray with me:

Jesus, may we experience You as You recapture our attention. May everything be moved aside that is hindering us from truly seeing You, and may we stand in awe as we behold You. May we see You as that little boy saw You, with wide-eyed wonder and child-like faith, causing everything else to pale in comparison to the reality of who You are! This is how America will be saved! This is how the world will be changed: when we acknowledge You and bring You back to the center of our focus. May our eyes be opened to truly see You, and may the reality of Your splendor take our breath away!

Our decree:

Jesus is our most valuable Treasure, our Pearl of great price. We decree that obstacles are being removed, enabling us to see Him as we stand in awe of who He is!

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

Today’s post was contributed by Gina Gholston. You can find out more about her at GinaGholston.com.