Run with Abandon: Restoring your Childlike Joy and Trust in God

By Jill McGaffigan

Have you ever watched a small child run into the arms of someone they love? In Run with Abandon, Jill McGaffigan teaches that we are to seek our heavenly father with that same trust and enthusiasm. He is waiting for us to come running to him with a sense of abandon . . . a carefree, almost reckless desire to know him completely! Jill McGaffigan offers women a clear path to discovering and embracing a greater level of intimacy with God. Readers will discover... 

• How to satisfy the hunger for a deeper connection with God by rekindling their innocent childlikeness.
• How to develop intimacy with God and feel a greater sense of His presence and favor
• The surprising secrets to more joy in a relationship with God than ever thought possible!

Ultimately, readers will learn to run with abandon to the heavenly Father and enjoy the relationship of a lifetime!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HigherLife Publishing
• Release date: Sep 3, 2012
• ISBN: 9781935245612

Jill McGaffigan

Jill was born in North Carolina to parents, Sandy and Jean Morton, who taught her of the love and faithfulness of God by their words and actions. She has been on a journey with Jesus since the age of 12 and has a passion for sharing the message of Christ through personal relationships, teaching, and writing. Jill lives in Lakeland, FL with Andy, her husband of 31 years. They have three beautiful children, an amazing son-in-law, and two precious grandsons.

Book preview

Run with Abandon: Restoring Your Childlike Joy and Trust in God

by Jill McGaffigan

Published by HigherLife Development Services, Inc.

400 Fontana Circle

Building 1—Suite 105

Oviedo, Florida 32765

[phone]

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

Scriptures are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2012 by Jill McGaffigan

All rights reserved.

ISBN 13: 978-1-935245-47-6

ISBN 10: 1-935245-47-3

First edition

12 13 14 15 — 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

As a parent of nineteen children, I have witnessed the simplicity of the joy, trust, and innocence they possess. When Jesus speaks, we would be wise to listen! Jill has listened and, with stories from her heart that bare her soul, Jill walks the reader through the process of learning how to run with abandon into the waiting arms of our heavenly Father. Life is complex, but Jesus calls us to live simply as His children. I encourage you to read this book and let the journey begin!

— Pat Williams, Senior Vice President, Orlando Magic

I have been privileged to know Jill McGaffigan for more than twenty years. Her sincere, caring, authentic, and loyal walk with the Savior has always been so inviting. When I see Jill, I see the Father! Run with Abandon is the overflow of Jill’s quest to know and follow Jesus. She encourages you to fall into the arms of a God who cares. She challenges you to surrender to the One who loves you most and knows you best. Run with Abandon exposes her heart and reveals heaven’s heart. Thanks, Jill, for sharing the deep waters that flow from your soul!

— Tim Cash, Lead Pastor, The Oasis Church

www.theoasischurch.org, www.thetaramansion.net

Jill McGaffigan is an artful storyteller. In Run with Abandon, she weaves stories of her personal experiences with biblical insights as she urges her readers to return to the pursuit of the right kind of relationship with the Father. It is a heartening and inspiring read.

— Holly J. Carey, PhD, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Point University

Run with Abandon stirred up one of my favorite stories from the Gospels, the Prodigal Son. I have read it many times, each time seeing God (the prodigal’s Father) standing on the roof of the house, on the chimney, on tiptoes, watching for the return of his son. I can see the son and the Father running with the abandon that Jill describes so well. Jill’s touching and real-life stories stirred that deep chord in my own soul that encourages me to run with a carefree, almost reckless desire to know Him completely! Jill’s insights are powerful in the honest sharing of her own family life. I am gratefully reminded by Jill that God desires to be close to us in the easy and the tough times. Run with Abandon is a gift to all of us when we have drifted too far from the Father’s love and discover it is time to go home.

— W. David McEntire, Senior Pastor, First United Methodist Church

Lakeland, Florida

Reading Run with Abandon will inspire you to consider the childlike qualities that made life simple in our relationships with others and, most importantly, with God. Jill paints a wonderful picture of the love Jesus has for each of His children through her experiences as a wife, a mom, Grammy, a daughter, and a friend. As you read this book, I imagine you will envision Jesus with His arms open wide, waiting for you to run toward Him to enjoy the relationship God created us to enjoy."

— Vince Nauss, President, Baseball Chapel

How can one get so much out of such a simple thought as running to the Father with abandon? Perhaps it is because Jill’s life experience has taught her that running to the Father is both simple and complex. As the facets on a diamond make it sparkle, the many facets exposed in this book make it sparkle. Reading this book is a stress reliever. It simplifies our cluttered lives. It says, Relax, and go for it; He is waiting.

— Bill Redmon, President, Removing the Barriers Initiative;

former Executive Director, Lake Aurora Christian Camp and Retreat Center

I have had the pleasure of knowing Jill and her husband, Andy, for many years. God has put this book on Jill’s heart, and it is a message for today. In a world where we are told to grow up, Jill reminds us that Jesus wants us to have a childlike faith. In a world that says do, we learn how to be what God wants us to be.

— Tom Roy, Founder/President, UPI (Unlimited Potential),

a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 faith ministry

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1: Run Like Crazy

Chapter 2: Running the Bases

Chapter 3: Running the Course

Chapter 4: Running for the Goal

Chapter 5: Run after Childlikeness

Chapter 6: Run for Trust

Chapter 7: Run after Vulnerability

Chapter 8: Run after Dependence

Chapter 9: Run with Honesty

Chapter 10: Run for Innocence

Chapter 11: Prune the Overgrowth

Chapter 12: Run with Determination

Chapter 13: Run over the Hurdles

Chapter 14: Run with the Right Equipment

Chapter 15: Run to the Father

Chapter 16: Run with the Leader

Chapter 17: Running Requires Rest

Chapter 18: Running to the End

FOREWORD

C. S. Lewis said of George MacDonald, I know hardly any writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself. In Jill McGaffigan, I find a kindred spirit. The Lord places a high value on childlike faith, and Jill’s faith embodies that value. She lives a consistent, congruent, childlike life of faith. If you spend just five minutes with Jill, her laughter and joy will touch you. Out of her open heart and open life flows the very heart of Christ. Now she invites her reader to discover, or rediscover, the joy of knowing the Father. When she sheds tears, they reveal the longing of a daughter, a sister, and a friend for more of the shared goodness of the Father. More often than not, both her tears and her delight will be for you, her friend. Jill’s vision and passion are to see Christ formed in her loved ones. In fact, she labors toward that end. Run with Abandon is a fruit of her labor of love.

Privileged to journey with Jill and her husband, Andy, I recall clearly her announcement that a book was being birthed within her. Jill’s creative book has been fraught with trials, suffering, and confusion but comes from a heart that seeks more to know Christ through these difficulties than to understand why they are there. Like our Lord, she has learned a trusting obedience through her suffering.

A good book unlocks, opens, reveals, reaches, and stirs. Jill’s book does all that—and more. In the opening pages, the reader senses her impassioned invitation to grab the Father’s hand, and the book progresses to the tearful good-bye to her precious mother at the book’s close. From start to finish, I sensed the Father’s wrapping His arms around me even before I could reach for His outstretched hand. The book immediately moved me to begin to change, as the Lord said plainly to His disciples in their quest for greatness: Change and become like little children (Matthew 18:3). This book helped me to identify the weeds from the plant inside me. I could see ways I play the martyr instead of relating directly. And the book helped me to move with the Spirit toward the release of the real me and uprooting of self-protective ways.

I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge as I engaged with Jill’s words. My family’s favorite rendition of this Dickens tale is The Muppet Christmas Carol. In this version, Scrooge is visited by two ghosts in chains, his former business partners, Jacob and Robert Marley, played by the curmudgeonly hecklers. They warn miserly Ebenezer with a haunting song that leaves a chilling directive echoing throughout the chambers of his bedroom and heart to change. Through the revelatory ministry of the three spirits, Scrooge is open to changing. When he awakes to find he has not missed Christmas morning, Scrooge frolicks around his room in merriment. Jill’s words reopened that same childlike joy and freedom in this curmudgeon’s heart.

During our season of intense personal trials, the Spirit highlights our throbbing need. When we are hurting, our lives are rocked, and our faith is shaken. We need somewhere to go, someone to go to, Someone to know, and something to do.

Recently, I had just had a long after-hours emergency with one of my clients, which extended into the late night and the weekend. The next morning, I found myself exhausted and having a particularly difficult time focusing on the day before me and the people for whom I cared. As I began to move into a day that would have felt overwhelming even without the late-night work, dread and panic seized me. At that moment, I looked down and saw Run with Abandon on my desk and was reminded of the many perspectives Jill shares. I literally cracked a smile as I pictured myself reaching out to the needed someone who would help me connect to our Someone and sense His something to do. In that moment, I joined in the joy of the struggle and the run.

Jill’s writing shows the reader this path to run with abandon through struggles, pain, and suffering into the arms of Christ Himself. In the process of our running, Jill reveals how the Father’s arms are already preparing a way for us not only to cope or feel at peace, but also to have something to do to reach out to others even when our growth is a work in progress.

I not only love Run with Abandon, but it helped me. So whether you’re a curmudgeon, a disciple, or both, grab the Father’s hand, and join the journey back to your true childlike, Christlike nature. Curl up with Jill’s book, and open your heart to the Spirit’s flashlight. Along the way, choose a safe somebody to walk alongside you. This is a path that leads us home—to our true home within our Father’s heart, to our true life within His kingdom.

                                      —     Dr. Tom Petit,

                                               Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Center for Biblical Counseling

www.drtompetit.com

INTRODUCTION

In the summer of 2004, I was awakened at 3 A.M. with the idea of this book in my head. Since I had never considered writing a book, this was an astounding phenomenon for me. I got out of bed and went to sit in the living room to consider the possibilities. Quickly, I realized it was the Lord who had placed this message in my mind and upon my heart. So immediately, I wrote the outline down in a journal and continued to marvel at what was happening. In the wee hours of the morning, I somehow understood this was not a project for immediate action, but rather a work God was doing inside of me. In the morning, I told my husband about the experience and then continued to ponder my next steps.

As I spent quiet time in reflection and prayer, I came to recognize that God had actually been writing this book in me for my entire life and that I had been living out and teaching the concepts throughout my lifetime. When I read over Bible study lessons I had prepared and taught for women’s retreats, it became apparent that the book had been in the process for some time. As I shared the outline of the book with our children in the years to follow, they lightheartedly let me know the concepts were not foreign to them since they were enfolded in these concepts growing up in our home. All of this confirmed what I believed God was speaking to me. Also, it was incredibly humbling to recognize that this book had been in the process for years as the Master molded and shaped me for His purposes.

The message itself is not a new one, as it is clearly taught directly and conceptually throughout the Word of God. But God has intertwined my life experiences with the reality of the childlike relationship He desires to have with all of His creation in order to teach this important lesson in a new, fresh, and appealing manner.

In the years to follow, at each opportunity I had, I continued to teach what God laid on my heart, and I recognized the consistency in the theme of those messages. Also, I spent time reflecting on my relationship with my heavenly Father, meditating on His Word, and praying for direction and an understanding of the timing. During this time, it became apparent to me that God was preparing me to write this book in some ways that I did not find appealing. As I experienced serious health issues, personal family tragedies, and the loss of financial security due to circumstances beyond our control, I was brought to a new level of