American Idol’s Scott MacIntyre: Seeing Alaska, Hearing God

There are few things more inspiring than the beauty of nature, and to me, that beauty has never manifested itself so abundantly as in the great state of Alaska.

If you know I’ve been visually impaired from birth, this might seem like an odd statement for me to make—what I see is akin to you looking at the world through a tiny coffee stir straw. But even with the extremely limited vision I have, I’ve been able to catch glimpses of forests, glaciers and sunsets in my own way. And then there are the sounds of birds flying overhead, the scent of fresh mountain air and the feeling of an open ocean breeze on my face.

Growing up, Alaska was always a place I wanted to visit, and once I did, I couldn’t wait to go back. Alaska, still untouched and pristine in many ways, contrasts so strikingly with the chaos we experience most everywhere else.

When God created the world, everything was perfect. But it didn’t take us long to choose our ways over God’s ways, and sin entered the picture. Deep down we long for a more perfect world—a world finally and fully reconciled to God. The hope we have in Jesus is more than the forgiveness of sin now; it is the promise that Jesus is coming back to make all things new—the way they were always intended to be.

Imagine all your most treasured life-moments and experiences strung together, without any of the tears or hardship that punctuate them. That is just a small taste of what life will be like when God creates the new heaven and the new earth. Until then, we can grow closer to Him in a place where every mountain, every glacier and every stream points to God and His creativity.

The Christian journey doesn’t stop when we place our trust in Christ for the first time—it begins there. For the rest of our lives, He is at work, constantly molding us, walking with us, speaking to us. Perhaps he has something special to say to you and me in Alaska.