Hemali AdhiyaIt has been on my mind for a long time now, and during several other posts, I’ve left hints about how our baby project, http://www.lovesmitten.com, is more a spiritual journey than just our passion for love and writing. Love Smitten is God’s command. As we’re celebrating Love Smitten’s two years this week, I thought it’s the best time to share our spiritual journey with the world and testify of God’s miraculous words.
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How was Love Smitten God’s command?
It all began two-and-a-half years ago when I was encountering one of life’s lowest phases. My work had hit an all-time low, and the projects that knocked on my door were the ones I did for money but didn’t enjoy. Soon, I started rejecting projects based on how it wasn’t even worth my time anymore because people offered peanuts. I prayed and sought prayers from my Godfather. My family didn’t leave any stone unturned to cheer me but in vain. I badly waited for God to speak to me… I waited for God’s command on what he wanted me to do next.
It was around those days that the idea of starting something of my own struck me. But… would it work? How much would I have to invest? Will it all be a total loss? What about my income? These questions and a hundred more stopped me from following my heart. My husband, who later co-founded this venture with me, was as confused as I was, and we simply couldn’t decide whom to approach for guidance. He, too, wanted me to set up something like this to fuel his creativity while keeping his full-time job.
This one day, I felt so low after my husband left for work that I couldn’t even focus on my prayers. I ended up saying things like, “My education is going to waste. I’m such a loser, I couldn’t do anything. Why didn’t I pick a professional degree instead? At least I’d have something to do. Creativity doesn’t pay,” and the like. And God’s command? It was nowhere in the picture yet!
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A rock band was supposed to perform in my city that evening, where my hopeless soul simply didn’t want to go. I told my husband, “What’s the point? I’m a loser, anyway! I’m tired of trying and praying for things to change…” I was discouraged to my lowest.
Waiting for God’s command for things to change in my life brought out the worst in me.
“You’re not, and you’ll see. For now, let’s enjoy some Christian music. You love music, don’t you? Maybe it’ll cheer you up a little.”
Half-heartedly, only on his insistence, we left for the show. Not wanting to grab anyone’s attention and wanting the freedom to leave whenever I wanted to, I suggested we sit in one of the back rows of the auditorium. The hall filled up with enthusiastic believers from around the city. There were around two hundred of them.
The program began with a lot of enthusiasm, and I wouldn’t lie, it was enjoyable. The music, the praise of God in a large crowd, and being among people who were all waiting upon God’s command for their various distresses felt relieving. After a few songs, the person on the mike announced that a Pastor from Mumbai, also the founder of the rock band, would like to share short preaching for the audience.
I don’t know what came over me at that moment, and I said some regrettable words. I turned to my husband and said, “I want to go home. It was just about some music, but I really am not in the mood for preaching.” It was unlikely for me to say that, and he was surprised too, but he said, “Let’s at least listen to the prayers before we leave.”
He wouldn’t leave, and probably that a subconscious God’s command that we had to stay! My life changed after we stayed.
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God’s Command for me
The pastor, Ronnie Sylvester from Mumbai, announced that he would pray for all of us and wait upon God’s command to begin the preaching that day. And that became those few moments in our lives that would remain etched in our souls forever. Something came over me when he started praying that opened a floodgate of tears. Everything that I’d been feeling, thinking, and saying to those around me flashed before my eyes, and I begged God to change things for me.
I had reached that point in my life when I was tired of making people understand that writing isn’t a technical process. It demands a frame of mind, creativity, and thoughts that come from within. But the mechanical work and peanuts they offered in return made me hopeless. I wanted to write for myself but simply didn’t know how and what.
And then it came… God’s command… while praying, the pastor said things like, “There are people here today who are crying for within… who are waiting upon you… they’re seeking your permission and want to start something new… God is telling me right now- Go ahead… fulfill your passionate and spiritual dreams.”
Even until then, I couldn’t understand that it was God’s command for me or the hundreds of others, who all came there with some dreams in their hearts and minds. When the prayers ended, the pastor asked everyone to settle down. I wiped my tears, not wanting to leave anymore.
All of a sudden, the pastor looked in our direction and said, “You, the sister in blue, can you please stand up?”
I shuddered. “Does he know I didn’t want to be here?” My husband pushed me to stand up, but I couldn’t, afraid of what he would say. But then, I had to when he requested again.
“You’re upset, sister, aren’t you?” I stood there, my eyes widening, my heart pounding, and with every eye on me. “You feel like a loser… like everything you’ve done in life is a waste and that there’s no meaning to your career anymore. Don’t you?”
That was it! When he used the word “loser,” I couldn’t hold it in anymore, and I cried, my husband, holding my hand. Did he have God’s command for me? I wondered!
“Your heart is in pain because your career means a lot to you. It is your identity, and you want to start something of your own. God is telling me to tell you right now, that you aren’t a loser for Him… He loves you and you mean the world to Him. God’s command for you has come… begin… start what you want to in the name of Jesus, and witness the magic.”
By then, my eyes resembled a waterfall after the rains. Even my husband broke down at listening to God’s word coming from somewhere where we least expected.
“God’s telling you to stop worrying. He’s opening all doors for you right now, and you will never have to beg for work again. He loves you so much and wants you to follow your dreams, which He will bless. He says, “I will take your dream where no one else has reached. Go ahead, my child.'”
And then began Love Smitten’s Spiritual Journey!
Throughout the rest of the program, we sat there, our eyes glistening in the disbelief that of all the people in the auditorium, God chose to speak to me directly and tell me just what I needed to hear. At the end of the preaching, we went backstage to meet the pastor, who re-affirmed we should go ahead with what was in our hearts, re-stating God’s command for our careers.
And we did… we came back home, dancing in the joy that night. I couldn’t catch a wink, feeling special about God’s love and his forgiveness for all the things I said during those days. The immediate next day, we ignited the process of Love Smitten, dedicating it to love. After all, God Himself said He loved me, and there is nothing more powerful than that feeling.
On the 19th of July, 2018, we launched Love Smitten with pomp and show. People received us with so much love and extended ways to associate with us. God is working strongly on His promise for Love Smitten, and even the other freelance projects I started receiving opened the doors for my success. I have edited and translated over 15 books since then, most of them published by renowned publishers, besides working on other freelance projects.
Love Smitten is progressing, and that too beautifully. I know in my heart that many negativities attack, trying to stop the growth of those who share spiritual testimonies, but I choose to believe that testimonies change lives, fill people with hope, and remind people of God’s love & miracles. After all, no problem is bigger than our Lord. And, even sharing this testimony was God’s command for me, which he gave to me during prayers. This week, as we celebrate Love Smitten’s two years, I couldn’t stop myself from sharing this life-changing testimony about how Love Smitten is indeed God’s command, and its growth will forever be a spiritual journey.
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