I was determined to find Emma Watson at all costs. Rescuing our lost family pet was more important to me than I could comprehend in the moment.

Four months ago, Emma Watson joined our family, and I never thought a cat could bring so much joy and purpose to our big family. Now she was lost.

After our two youngest left the back door open, Emma Watson slipped outside and vanished. With surveillance cameras pointing in every direction, we were baffled that she couldn't be found on any of the footage. The family was distraught, and to make matters worse, I was out of town on business. When I finally returned home, I vowed to do all that I could to find Emma Watson.

By this point, my wife was convinced that Emma Watson was in the unfinished walls or ceiling of the detached garage. Upon my return home, I spent the next two hours scouring every inch of the structure, identifying crawl spaces and removing sections of drywall to expand the search. I was prepared to dismantle the entire garage if necessary.

I had yet to see or hear Emma Watson, so I stepped outside and made an earnest prayer to find her. I prayed for the chance to rescue the cat and bring healing to the pain my kids were experiencing.

Minutes later, I was upstairs attempting to pull out the floorboards when I heard a faint meow. I crawled to the corner and heard it again. She was somewhere below me, and the only access point was a small space between the roof and the edge of the floor.
I positioned myself as far into the corner as I could get, dangling one arm into a dark corner while the nails of the roof dug into my face, scalp, and shoulder. This was a precarious moment, but I was prepared for whatever was in store.

Emma Watson meowed loudly, inches from my hand, and then I felt her nose touch my fingertip in the dark crawl space. I couldn't move another inch and had to patiently wait as she played my hand. The nails from the roof continued digging deeper into my arm.

Finally, I grabbed her ear and held on tight, but she managed to slip away. As she headed deeper into the wall out of fear, I made a blind attempt to grab her again, and I was surprised to realize that her tail was firmly in my grip.

I pulled her through the opening, cutting my hand and arm on nails as I completed the rescue maneuver. As she was rushed back to the house for cuddles and food, I sat on the floor covered in dirt, sweat, and a little blood, praising God for this victory moment.

Sure, this was just a cat, and losing a beloved family pet is a normal life moment for any parent, but there was something much deeper about this win. After facing constant hospital visits with Ambrose and his breathing issues and then facing the gut-wrenching rollercoaster of Benny's battle with brain cancer, I was finally able to use the physical strength and size given to me by God to provide a moment of healing and celebration for the family. Finding Emma Watson played a huge role in boosting my confidence as a protector of the family and gave me extra momentum heading into another tough week.

Sometimes we need tangible wins to complement the unseen progress and successes of our lives.

On Thursday this week, four-year-old Benny will be sedated once again for several hours as the doctors conduct another set of scans on his brain and spine. This will be his fourth set of scans this year and his 44th sedation in less than two years.

As I do daily, I will pray for my son and my family when I wake up and continue praying for them and others throughout our routine. Prayers matter, and they work, and God rewards our faithfulness with His plan for our lives. I will never dismiss the impact and the importance of prayer. Still, I sometimes wish that I could reach into the dark corners of life and endure the pain of a few nails to relieve the heartache and uncertainty that my kids face each time Benny’s scheduled scans come back around.

Will you please join me in praying for Benny and for all kids facing serious medical battles?

Will you commit to making the sacrifice and, when possible, to performing tangible tasks to help others, while praying always and unceasingly?

If you have prayer requests that you would like to share with Undivided Life, Contact Us and be assured that your intentions will be included in our weekly team prayers.