A New Normal

I am constantly astounded by the beautiful weather here in Los Angeles. Before coming here I could not have fathomed ever living in such a place. The fact that there are more days of sun and heat rather than clouds and snow is one that I am slowly growing accustomed to.

Coming from Colorado, I am more comfortable on a mountain covered in snow than I am on the beach with waves washing across the sand bars. I would rather drive on snow and ice than in the jungle of downtown with its thousands of vehicles and huge numbers of pedestrians. It is interesting how one normal has been swapped for the other. Where I used to fear the thought of public transit, it has now become my preferred mode of transportation.

My normal has been changed at the Dream Center; it has been shaped by this place. Where I was once satisfied to simply sit idly by and watch others go into the hurting world to meet the needs of the broken, I cannot. Where I was once fine with driving by the pain and hurt in the streets, I cannot. No longer am I satisfied with hoping for change. No longer is my heart calloused to the circumstances of the poor. My normal has been changed, and I thank God that it has!

I love this new normal! I love going out into the streets giving away hot food to the homeless. I love how giving away food, diapers, and furniture brings a smile to a mother’s face; it never ceases to amaze me. It would be a strange thought to simply pass by those hurting on the streets. I have a new found love of the people of Los Angeles. This new normal is more challenging but oh-so much more rewarding. This normal is still uncomfortable at times, but like a new pair of jeans, as time goes on, this normal becomes more comfortable, though never less astounding. This normal stretches, it pushes, it pulls: It makes me love it even more.

When I get tired of this new normal, when I start to become calloused, all I have to do is look into the faces of the people whose lives have been changed by the Dream Center. These faces that once held sorrow and pain, now have crows feet from laughter. Their eyes have hope and their tongues can rejoice once again. I like normal.

-Joel