Preview of upcoming book:
And a Cup of Tea:
Reflections of God in the Everyday
by Aimee Morvant

ARMS RAISED IN PRAISE

Crepe myrtles line the boulevards of the South Texas community where I live. Each spring they are a blaze of color. But in February, when the gardeners cut them back, they are nothing but a mass of barren sticks that look completely dead. It’s hard to believe how beautiful they’ll be in just a few months.

That’s when I want to be like them. Without any sign of hope or life, their branches look like arms raised in praise. During the spiritual winters that we all go through from time to time, I want to keep my arms raised in praise. I want to remember that when I have been cut back by life’s hurts, disappointments or demands, I can always grow back, flourishing because of my pruning. When I can’t see God’s plan for me; when I feel like I’m not growing spiritually; when I feel like all anyone can see in me is a barren bunch of sticks, I want to remember that just like the crepe myrtles, with God’s love and grace I can go from that barren state to full bloom--with arms still raised in praise.