Since the day I became an author and created my brand (the logo on my homepage), I have met a few new readers while I’m on the go. They’ve asked me how I came up with the logo and also wanted to understand the meaning behind it.
I figure since this is a Frequently Asked Question, it deserves a bit more of a deep dive.

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Marigolds are my favorite flower (and overall favorite thing on earth).

I can feel the joy rising up in me while writing this.

Have you seen one before, friend?

I hope you have.

Because…

Oh, they are so wonderful. They give off such a perfume and are uniquely beautiful in whichever way they are displayed—whether in a garden, a planter placed by the front door, or beneath windows in floating boxes.

When I’m asked the question of why I picked the marigold for my brand, I don’t answer with, “I just really like them.” No, siree. Rather, when I created my brand, I started researching. One thing about me you will soon learn (if you haven’t already) is that I don’t look at something simple and take it as is. I am highly analytical and always searching for more.

As a child, I often wrestled with picking my favorite flower.

The popular rose, daisy, orchid, or tulip didn’t fancy me. I’ll admit one thing, however. Although the flower itself didn’t seem that interesting to me, the word Chrysanthemum definitely piqued my interest. I adored that word (and still do!), and I’m confident I’ll use it when naming one of my children.

I know I somehow answered the question of which flower was my favorite back then, but I can’t remember my choice for the life of me. Now that I think about it, maybe that was for a reason. I also can’t remember when I decided they were my favorite. I guess it was just one of those moments that just happen.

Since that moment, marigolds would consistently find a spot in my full life. My family would point them out when we’re outside, on a drive, or anywhere the flowers were in plain sight. They oftentimes say, “Look, Merah, Marigolds. There’s your favorite!” Whether I’m reading a book, listening to music, or looking in the opposite direction, I immediately turn to get a glimpse of them.

While my preferences have surely changed,
I still love them just as much as ever.

I am not a fan of orange or any bright colors. I don’t see in-your-face hues as aesthetically pleasing. I am a muted colors gal, through and through. Just a whisper of color is nice. Not to mention the fact that just about everything I own is in either a muted color, beige, grey, or natural tone.

But something about the color of marigolds feels different. They don’t bother me as bright colors do. You won’t see a cringe forming on my lips. And unlike my usual day-to-day, I don’t mentally turn down the saturation levels or imagine them more muted. They just make me feel happy. And that’s more than enough. They’re quite smile-inducing.

I soon began to wonder if something even deeper was in store.
Little did I know, the answer wasn’t far off.

Through the years, I believed I understood why marigolds captivated me so. I figured it was simply because God created them, which is such an awe-inspiring thought in itself. My goodness, who can fully grasp that?

God created everything in nature. He thought out every part of it, and He said it was very good (Gen. 1:31).

Chris Tomlin said it so well in his hit song, too. It’s definitely indescribable.

The thought of, “Here’s a concept… why don’t you ask God?” hadn’t even crossed my mind. That is, not until just before the release of my debut book. Back then, I was seeking Him for the image and pen name that is now A.M. Revere.

From the very moment I desired to create it, I knew, without a doubt, it had to be a marigold because of my love for them. But, being so meticulous, I desired to go a bit deeper and search for purpose and meaning.

So, I conducted a Google search about the flower, and what I found brought immense clarity.

You see, these flowers are something else… they’re tough little guys. Marigolds were created to grow and thrive in immense heat and pressure from the sun. I felt it so strongly. It was as if God Himself whispered in my ear, “THEY REMIND YOU OF MY CHARACTER.”

Hallelujah! What a gift!

It was such a beautiful truth that I can’t fully put into words what that moment meant, though I’ll try my best. As my best friend Steph says, “It’s just our God doing what He does best—showing off.”

I then began to understand things a lot more, especially the season of life I was walking in.

Needless to say, I was so moved. How good and full of splendor the Heavenly Father is, that He used a flower to speak! Once I grasped it, I declared, “Okay, so that’s what A.M. Revere is about.”

While that was true, it wasn’t all He had planned.

In April of this year, I wrote in my journal one morning: Something broke through.

You might ask, “What broke through, exactly?” Well, though the details are quite personal, I’d like to share a little bit with you. You see, I didn’t have the best start in life. I experienced some turmoil in the beginning. While in the Lord, I found beauty, fulfillment, and rescue, the aftereffect of those experiences surfaced, leaving unplanned inward struggles. Those are the what I’m referring to.

I give glory to the Lord for helping me through all of it back then, and even now. I also have a great deal of love and respect for my church family. They have heard me pour my heart out to them. Our leadership and elders have prayed for me every month, sometimes even every week. Yet they’ve always been faithful and were always there to embrace me. If you’re reading this and you’re from my home church, you have my heart.

So, there I was, living life, but in expectation that one day I would be healed and delivered.

Various men and women of God have encouraged me to keep showing up and keep coming to the altar for prayer, promising that one day my healing would occur. I was getting tired of coming, getting prayed for, and then hobbling back to my pew each week. But still, I kept on. And in the meantime, I was writing and continued to minister, despite challenges.

I can’t remember how it happened or the exact moment. All I knew was that on April 2, 2025, something shifted.

I’d put many things on hold in the waiting. But once I realized the change in me, confidence was the light that burst through the clouds of my soul. I know that sounds dramatic, but that’s literally how I felt.

I started walking in it. I went on with my life as if those struggles never existed in the first place.

I began dreaming again, making plans, doing what I used to. I prepared for those things to come to fruition with each checked box of my handheld planner, because, with my biggest obstacle demolished, nothing was holding me back anymore. I was confident and strong. The prize I reached for was closer than it had ever been. It was mine. And I was ready to take it when the Lord gave me the green light. I continued working on projects, planning to share my testimony of restoration and healing.

I wasn’t limited anymore. I could enjoy what I used to do.

Others around me confirmed that I wasn’t the me I once was. One of my colleagues said, “Merah, you sound like your old self again, like when you were younger.” Another told me that I was carefree. That was an answer to my prayers. That was redemption.

A dear friend shared with me their recent struggle, which was, surprisingly, what I had just overcome. So, I ministered to them as the Lord guided me, which, in several weeks, led to the beginning of their freedom and deliverance. I was so grateful God allowed me to witness the start of their breakthrough. It was a divine appointment I will forever cherish. Nothing was more invigorating and life-giving in that season than not only being healed but also helping others heal.

It was my testimony. I was free. Finally. I was done with the former. And I was not going back.

Three months later… something also happened. It’s hard to explain it fully, really.

I didn’t know if I let my guard down or what happened. All I knew was that whatever had left returned. Again. “Ah,” you might say, “So Merah, you’re saying you’ve been through this before?” Yes. I went through this same process six years earlier, and the healing lasted just as long. No one really knew about that one.
Well, I guess they do now.
This time, however, I felt worse.
Was the battle harder than before? I look back and see that… no, it wasn’t. Really, it was the same as before. It only felt worse because of one thing—
I was broken and weary, and unwilling to rise above it.
I never lost my faith or gave up on God, and I never would. But I owned defeat, and because I owned defeat, I let it shape my entire view of the situation.

You may wonder, “Merah, what about those dreams and plans? What did you do with them?”

Nothing. I stuffed ‘em all in the archives and left them alone. Because my healing didn’t go as I planned, I assumed what I was working towards no longer served its purpose.

I believed from then on that my only hope was Heaven. I stopped praying for healing and instead shaped my requests for help to “just get through.”

I clung to songs that spoke the words I couldn’t, and communed with the Heavenly Father the only way I knew to—through worship—and found comfort.

One honorable mention is this beautiful lyric. In her song, “I Think He Is,” Rita Springer sings:

Standing in the desert, shaking my fists
Is God still good? Oh, I think He is
Find me in the wreckage, praise on my lips
Is God still good? Oh, I think He is

The song continues and later ends its chorus with:

Is God still good?
OH, I KNOW HE IS.

Through much striving, victories, and tears, I had to get honest with myself.

I had to look myself in the mirror and say, “Merah, your hope isn’t in the healing. It isn’t in yourself. It’s not even in others. It is in God.”

Though I never ceased serving my Abba Father, I allowed this inward struggle to keep me out of church for weeks at a time. As on several Sundays before, I walked out of Sunday’s worship service one morning and got alone in a room farther back in the building. It was quiet enough that I had a chance to recollect my thoughts. I sat down and took deep breaths, overwhelmed and ready to grab my bag and head home early. But as I closed my eyes, the Lord reminded me of the words of David.

Why my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God (Psalm 43:5 NIV).

Sometimes, friend, you have to remind your soul of who God is. David himself did this. He encouraged himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6)!

It was my choice at that very second to tell myself and remind my soul, I’m done being stuck like this. I’m done living like God hasn’t been good to me. Because He is, and always will be.

Even as I write today, I am reminded of the truth found in Psalm 139.

Where can I go from Your spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
Even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast (Psalm 139: 7-10 NIV).

From there, I felt the Lord speak to me.

“EVEN IN THIS, I AM STILL GOD.

I AM STILL GOOD.

I AM YOUR STRENGTH.

I AM WITH YOU.

I AM FAITHFUL.”

Since that day, my heart has been full of reflection and thankfulness to the Heavenly Father.

There’s a quote I’ll never forget.

It was, “If God brought you to it, He will bring you through it.”

God brought me here. He knew where I’d be, how I’d feel, and who would be there to encourage me. So, even in this, there’s only one thing I will do.

I will acknowledge my inability and cling to Him.

I will trust Him.

I will seek Him.

I will pursue Him.

I surrender to the truth that I cannot come out of this myself. The only way I can overcome anything is to lay full dependence on the Heavenly Father and receive His strength. I know that His and only His strength can get me through and will get me through. He will grant the desires and dreams of my heart. I can’t. But He can.

And because He can, I can rest assured that He is a man of His word. One day, I will be able to say with victory that I overcame and am on the path to full restoration. I look forward to that one day, whether it is here on earth or in eternity with Him.

So, the question is, did this season go the way I planned?
Not at all.
But even in this, there is still purpose. He is still my strength. He is there to hold me and meet me where I am.

I want to encourage you, friend.

No matter what you are going through, remind your soul today. He is still God, even in this.

Until then, this is the time.

Another light of day.

To sing to the heart through the words I write, as God intended me to from the very beginning.

This is YOUR time.
Sing to the heart in whatever way you can.

Share his hope and love with others.

And testify to who He is and what He has done.

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Though this story was a bit long, it is the framework behind this brand and beautiful image.

I hope that you will see marigolds with a newer perspective and keep hope in mind.

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My prayer is that if you are walking through a similar season will find strength in the Lord through this post and will rely more on Him so you too will one day overcome.

If you know someone who would be blessed by this, I encourage you to share it with someone special.

Thank you for reading. See you soon!

Thank you for reading today’s post! I am looking forward to going on this journey with you.

God has great things in store.

Sing to the Heart