Pray for Max
Five years ago, my son Max was diagnosed with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS) when two polyps were discovered in his intestine. My wife Emily and I learned that PJS is a serious and rare disorder that causes growths called polyps to form in the intestines. People with PJS have a high risk of developing certain cancers in the digestive system organs including the stomach, liver, intestines, and bladder.
Max is 5 years-old now and has already endured a number of these intense procedures. Imagine explaining to a young child that they can’t eat for two days because it will interrupt a painful medical procedure… But again, it’s not the first time he’s done this.
This Saturday, we’ll once again spend a few days at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with Max as he undergoes the procedure.
So, what can be done for Max? Pray for a miracle… according to doctors, there is no cure for PJS.
Right now, our focus is on managing his PJS with regular surveillance and symptom management. A long-term screening plan – and the annual procedures like the one he’ll have this weekend – help detect and remove polyps and allows for the early detection of cancer. That means routine colonoscopies and endoscopies plus many appointments with the team of specialists.
Through all of this, doctors also discovered that Max has an unrelated GI disorder that requires daily medication. We are praying that this procedure will help give us some answers to the daily struggle he's been experiencing.
As any parent can imagine, it breaks Emily and my heart to see our son in pain and discomfort. I've often prayed to ask God to place that burden upon me. Who wouldn't take the pain of their child upon themselves? Although we have not found polyps since he was young, I'm always wondering, “Is it happening again”?
It is very hard to see Max have daily physical symptoms with no permanent solutions.
Yet, this is what God has for Max and our family.
Often all we see is the pain and it’s hard not to search for someone to blame. Am I the only one who has asked, why is this happening to us? Or, where is God? I don’t think so.
That’s why I want to share with you what God so graciously reminded me of this morning in James 1: 2-6.
Here’s the truth from scripture:
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
God showed me that although we all face many different challenges, suffering is a fact of life, and we need to see these things from a different angle. As Believers, we know that the true purpose of these trials isn’t to destroy us, but to produce something supernatural.
Here is the key: FAITH.
Faith produces perseverance that leads to spiritual maturity and completeness. Trials are actually to be considered a source of joy—God uses trials to refine, purify, and strengthen us – to make us more like Christ!
In God's upside-down Kingdom, NOTHING is wasted and EVERYTHING works together to bring Him glory! This is our joy: to know that God has our best interest and to live for Him.
There’s no doubt that Max’s trials have changed me.
Through this, God has given me a greater measure of compassion for others and a desire to suffer with others in their pain. What if I approached each person as though they could be carrying hidden pain or sickness? Knowing Max’s struggle causes me to pray for strength when I'm tired, to be patient when frustrated, to hug a bit longer before saying goodnight, and to be present in each moment together. Each moment is a gift.
Today, we can be comforted by God who created the heavens and earth, knowing that He cares about each and every detail of our lives. God loved us first! We believe by faith that God will heal and transform our Maxi (his nickname), just like we believe and witness how God is changing our Chester community.
Today, please share YOUR prayer requests with us and PLEASE PRAY FOR MAX!
Here’s how you can pray for Max:
The two-day fast and intense procedure for Max would be as painless as possible
No polyps would be detected, and protection from future polyps or other diagnoses
That the procedure provides answers for the other pain Max has been going through
For God to comfort us and give us the faith to walk through this diagnosis every day
Please also pray for Ava, our daughter, who will be with family during Max’s procedure
God bless you!
Pastor John Clifford