02.02.2013
By Faith, Not By Sight - Guest Blogger - Scott MacIntyre
God never
said life would be fair. Some people
simply deal with more hardship in life than others. But one thing is for certain – at some point,
we all will face obstacles, and with every obstacle comes a choice: to lose
hope, or to trust in God.
Having been
blind since birth, I knew there would always be things I couldn’t do. I could never play baseball, drive a car, or
see when a girl was smiling at me. But
God gave me a passion for music, and I clearly remember dreaming as a little
kid about what it would be like to share my music with the world someday.
My blindness
presented many challenges growing up, from learning to play the piano to
learning to cross the street. But none
of that compared to what I would face in the biggest obstacle of my life.
At nineteen
years old, I was diagnosed with stage-four kidney failure. At the time, I had no idea what this meant,
but I soon became so sick that I couldn’t even play the piano or sing in my own
living room. Music had always filled our
home, but all of a sudden the house was quiet.
It felt like my dreams were dying.
I believed with my whole heart that God wanted me to share my gifts and
talents with other people, but when I couldn’t even do that in my own home, it
was devastating. After exhausting all
options searching for a cause, there was no where else for me to run, no safety
net. I was faced with a very clear
choice: trust God, or nothing.
Eventually,
I ended up on dialysis. I went three to
four times a week and sat in that dialysis chair while the machines cleaned my
blood to keep me alive.
Then after
over two years of praying, hoping, and waiting, my former college piano
professor’s wife donated her kidney to me and saved my life.
It was less
than a year after that life-saving transplant that I auditioned for American Idol, and I was just grateful
to be on any stage, let alone the American
Idol stage. God had been faithful to
bring me through the most physically, emotionally, and spiritually difficult
time of my life. And now he had blessed
me with a platform from which I could share my music and my story with the
entire world.
I wouldn’t
wish what I went through on anyone, but looking back, I wouldn’t change a day
of it. I’m so grateful to have my health,
but I’m just as grateful for what I learned on the journey. God taught me to walk by faith, even when I
couldn’t see where He was leading me. Not
only is God faithful in the good times, but he is faithful and worthy of our
trust in the hard times as well. If we
put our trust in Him, there is no obstacle we can’t overcome.
- -
CHECK OUT
SCOTT’S NEW BOOK BY FAITH, NOT BY SIGHT
IN STORES NOW, Get your copy now online:
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Scott joined Michael W. Smith on his 2012 Cruise and we continue to be inspired by Scott's story and faith!
Learn more about Scott:
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