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A Man Who Wanted to Be Seen<\/strong><\/p>\n I met an Uber driver on the way to the airport. His name was Mat.<\/p>\n From the moment I got in the car, it was clear\u2014this was someone who wanted to be seen.<\/p>\n He was dressed in what might be described as industrial cyberpunk<\/em>\u2014dark, layered, covered in metal studs and symbols. Large metal rings on every finger. Piercings in his ears, nose, and lip.<\/p>\n His presence didn\u2019t whisper. Here I am. Notice me.<\/em><\/p>\n And honestly, most people probably did\u2014just not in the way he was hoping.<\/p>\n The Story He Was Living In<\/strong><\/p>\n As we began talking, I asked him a few simple questions. That\u2019s all it took.<\/p>\n He opened up immediately. The conversation didn\u2019t trickle\u2014it poured, and it didn\u2019t stop until we arrived at the airport.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n He told me he was a priest in an online church\u2014something called the \u201cUnited Living Church.\u201d As he explained it, it became clear this wasn\u2019t rooted in anything theologically historical or biblically grounded. It was a blend\u2014part Gnostic, part New Age, part something he had constructed himself.<\/p>\n There were themes of special knowledge. Hidden insight. Mysterious numbers. Spiritual power\u2014even the conjuring \u00a0of shadowy spirits.\u00a0 One in particular, he called \u201cSimon Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n And with every turn, the story became more unusual. More expansive. More grandiose.<\/p>\n At one point, it felt like a\u00a0Forrest Gump<\/em>\u00a0kind of story\u2014somehow connected to every major world event of the past 20 years.<\/p>\n But underneath all of it\u2014beneath the language, the ideas, the claims\u2014there was something deeply familiar.\u00a0 Deeply human.<\/p>\n A longing.<\/p>\n To be somebody. What Actually Opened Him Up<\/strong><\/p>\n And here\u2019s what struck me most:<\/p>\n He kept talking\u2014not because I was agreeing with him, but because I was interested in him.<\/p>\n I was asking questions. Listening. Engaging.<\/p>\n And he responded the way every human being does when someone is genuinely curious about them\u2014<\/p>\n he opened up more.<\/p>\n It reminded me of something simple, but easy to forget:<\/p>\n We are drawn to people who are willing to see us.<\/em><\/p>\n Even when we\u2019re confused. The longing to be known doesn\u2019t go away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why He Couldn\u2019t Hear Me<\/strong><\/p>\n As I listened, something else became clear.<\/p>\n Mat wasn\u2019t just sharing ideas. A story where he had special knowledge. It lifted him out of the ordinary. But it also became the lens through which he interpreted everything.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s when it hit me:<\/p>\n There was nothing I could say in that short ride about God\u2019s larger story that he would truly hear.<\/em><\/p>\n Not because he wasn\u2019t intelligent. But because everything I said would be filtered through the story he was already living in.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A Different Choice<\/strong><\/p>\n And that realization shifted something in me.<\/p>\n Instead of trying to correct him\u2026 I chose something different.<\/p>\n I chose to see him.<\/p>\n To stay curious. Because in that moment, that was what he could actually receive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What Actually Changes People<\/strong><\/p>\n As I got out of the car, I realized something I don\u2019t want to forget:<\/p>\n You cannot argue someone out of a story they are living inside.<\/em><\/p>\n Real change doesn\u2019t come from winning debates.<\/p>\n It comes when the Spirit of God begins to open eyes that have been shaped\u2014 \u201c\u2026the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see\u2026\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (2 Cor 4:4)<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n A Prayer on the Way Out<\/strong><\/p>\n When we got to the airport, I thanked Mat for sharing his story with me. He thanked me for listening. So as I walked into the airport, I did what I said I would do.<\/p>\n I prayed.<\/p>\n That God, in His mercy, would meet Mat.<\/p>\n That the Spirit would gently begin to remove the layers.<\/p>\n That somehow, in God\u2019s timing, he would begin to see And that there is a better one.<\/p>\n A larger one.<\/p>\n A story where he doesn\u2019t have to construct his identity. not because of what he has discovered\u2026 <\/p>\n What I Don\u2019t Want to Forget<\/strong><\/p>\n That short Uber ride reminded me once again of something simple:<\/p>\n Everyone you meet is living inside a story.<\/em><\/p>\n And often, before they need correction\u2026 they need someone willing to see them.<\/p>\n Because sometimes, being seen is the first crack in the wall.<\/p>\n And sometimes\u2026<\/p>\n that\u2019s where God begins.<\/p>\n A Question to Sit With<\/strong><\/p>\n Where in your life are you trying to correct someone\u2019s story\u2014 [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_team_member name=”Dr. Scott Engelman” position=”Executive Director” image_url=”http:\/\/dantompkinsweb.com\/AHM\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/scott_sq.jpg” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Roboto|700|||||||” header_text_align=”left” header_text_color=”#000000″ header_font_size=”24px” link_option_url=”https:\/\/dantompkinsweb.com\/AHM\/our-staff\/” border_radii_image=”on|150px|150px|150px|150px” box_shadow_style_image=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_team_member][et_pb_cta title=”Any Questions or Comments?” button_url=”https:\/\/dantompkinsweb.com\/AHM\/contact-us\/” button_text=”Click Here” _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Roboto||||||||” body_font=”Poppins||||||||” background_color=”#000000″ custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”20px” button_bg_color=”#848484″ button_border_width=”2px” button_border_color=”#E02B20″ button_border_radius=”10px” button_use_icon=”off” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” border_width_all=”2px” border_color_all=”#E02B20″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences, whether you’re grappling with your own definition of strength or seeking insight on embracing vulnerability; your voice matters in this journey, and together we can explore the deeper truths that shape our lives and connect us all.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][dssb_sharing_buttons columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” sharing_title_font=”Poppins|300|||||||” sharing_title_text_align=”left” sharing_title_text_color=”#FFFFFF” share_font=”Poppins||||||||” share_text_align=”center” share_text_color=”#FFFFFF” hover_enabled=”0″ border_radii_main=”on|15px|15px|15px|15px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][dssb_sharing_button _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/dssb_sharing_button][dssb_sharing_button _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” social_network=”gmail” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/dssb_sharing_button][dssb_sharing_button _builder_version=”4.27.6″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” social_network=”yahoomail” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/dssb_sharing_button][\/dssb_sharing_buttons][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Man Who Wanted to Be Seen I met an Uber driver on the way to the airport. 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It announced itself.<\/p>\n
To be seen.
To matter.<\/p>\n
Even when we\u2019re living inside a distorted story.<\/p>\n
He was living inside a story.<\/p>\n
A unique role.
A kind of power and identity.<\/p>\n
It gave him meaning.<\/p>\n
Not because he wasn\u2019t sincere.<\/p>\n
convince him\u2026
or win the moment\u2026<\/p>\n
To stay engaged.
To treat him with dignity.<\/p>\n
and sometimes blinded\u2014by a smaller story.<\/p>\n
I told him I would be praying for him.<\/p>\n
He was touched that I would pray for him.<\/p>\n
that the story he\u2019s living in\u2014while meaningful to him\u2014
is not the story he was made for.<\/p>\n
Where he doesn\u2019t need special knowledge to matter.
Where he is already seen, known, and loved\u2014<\/p>\n
but because of who God is.<\/p>\n
before they need answers\u2026<\/p>\n
when what they may actually need first\u2026
is to be seen?<\/p>\n