Chika Jonah Writes

Tag: Inspiration

  • How being broke and hungry can transform your life

    After faking a straight face for thirty minutes, Ann couldn’t take it anymore and bursted into laughter. She almost fell on the floor laughing so hard from hearing my story. It was obvious she felt pity for me but couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

    So I thought to share it with you too.

    I just left NYSC camp. In a new environment, not knowing anywhere and anyone. I went straight to NCCF house (a home for new call members to stay, grow their spiritual life and bond with other Christians as well) and lived there for a week while I searched for a place to stay. I needed my privacy and space.

    After a long search I finally found a new and clean self contain apartment in a cool and coordinated area, where all the big and elite personnel’s of Jalingo, Taraba state lived. Exactly what I wanted.

    I moved in bought the basic necessities. Matrass first, then a mini shelf for my books and beverages, toiletries and food stuffs. I asked mummy to send pots and stove and containers from home which she eventually did. I started going to my PPA which was close by and began searching for a Job. I needed more to survive.

    Three weeks later I was Broke

    I used my last fifty naira to buy water for cleaning and bathing.

    I had nothing else on me. No change no money no nothing.

    I didn’t know how I was going to survive the next couple of days before we received our allowance.

    I just stayed in my room.

    That day, my fellow call member, friend and neighbor called me out to gist like we normally did every evening

    “Babe how far”. He asked

    “I dey oh”. I replied. And we talked about other things.

    “Babe, please help me with Maggi and red oil?” He pleaded. I just stared at him not knowing how to tell him that the Chika that cooked in a big pot every evening to share with her friends and students had nothing except for a full pack of salt and matches laughs

    “Guy sorry, I don’t have again. Its finished”. I told him and made an excuse to go back inside.

    “If only this guy knew that I hadn’t tasted anything all day he wouldn’t be asking me for anything. He can take salt if he wants”. I muttered to myself and forced myself to sleep for the third time that day.

    I woke up the next day with angry worms, grumbling stomach and a tired body. Plus today was not the day I embarrassed my generation so I had a plan.
    I had my bath, dressed my bed, locked my empty kitchen, locked the front door, closed the windows and curtains and jumped right back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. laughs

    Sounds weird right? Don’t worry.

    The idea was to make sure no one knew I was home. And it worked.

    Few minutes later I heard a knock on the door but I didn’t answer. I rolled myself to the far end of the bed so that no one would see my shadow even by chance.

    “I don’t think she is around, even the door and windows are both closed. Let’s go”. they said as they went back. I heard them leave and was relieved.

    Of all the ways to die, I’m I going to die of hunger? I murmured. I wanted to cry but how can I cry because of hunger so I held it back

    “God please, today is the day you send my divine helper”, I prayed hoping for a miracle, “you rained manner from heaven for the Israelites, please just send two sachet of pure water for me”. I begged clutching my stomach.

    I slept off and woke up in the evening hoping to see a miracle but I was disappointed. In few hours I was going into the next day without eating. So this is what poverty feels like I pondered.

    I left the bed and changed into my one of my black shorts. I couldn’t endure the heat and suffocation coupled with my predicament so I decided to go out.

    If I was going to die then its better to die where people would see me and save me on time than dying alone and isolated in my room.

    I sat outside and stared at the clouds for so long that it was dark before I realized I was in that position for more than an hour.

    I began walking around the compound with my hands inside my back pockets and when I was around my neighbors backyard I felt something like paper in my pocket and sighed. “Typical Chika, Always leaving pieces of paper everywhere”. I hissed, brought out the paper, raised my hand to throw it away when a letter flashed before my eyes. I stopped and quickly opened my palm to see the paper properly and to my greatest surprise it was a five hundred naira note.

    I froze instantly and just stared at it as a lone tear fell on my cheek.

    “Oh my God”. I whispered. The next thing I knew I was jumping

    “Its a Miracle”, I screamed running round the compound in excitement, “I am rich! I am rich. Its a miracle. Thank you Jesus”. I continued shouting and all the neighbors came out shocked to see me shouting like a mad woman.

    I ran to the first one “Megida its a miracle”. And to the second one “Sir you won’t believe this. I’m rich”. He simply smiled at me.
    My friends asked me if I was okay and I told them I was more than okay. And ran out like a mad woman forgetting to lock my room.

    Till this day I still can’t believe how I ran from my house to the shop without fainting on the road. A mere five hundred naira note had given me the strength of a lion. I knew then that a hungry man was a poor man. And I never wanted to feel that way again.

    The first thing I bought was a bag of pure water (150 naira). And I drank from it immediately I bought it. Then I also got;

    Bread (150)
    Milk and Milo (80)
    2 indomie (100)
    Pepper (20)

    And that was how the money finished. The bread was big enough for a two time meal. So I had one meal everyday for the next three days. That was enough for me.

    God came through for me by making me put my hands in my pocket or else I wouldn’t have known that I had something left. From that day I believed in miracles. And decided I’ll never experience that in my life again. It was horrible.

    Not to brag but I left NYSC with something close to three hundred thousand for someone who was starved for almost three days in a strange land with no one. And till date I have never been totally broke.

    Moral of the story – Don’t stop believing. God always shows up. Sometimes in the strangest ways but he always reveals himself in our situations. One more thing. If you’re not angry enough at something you cant change that thing.

    Ann may still be laughing at me but I know this story has inspired her to keep believing in miracles too.

    What are thoughts after reading this story? I’d love to hear them. So drop a comment and share this post with everyone you know. Much love.

  • The Singing Wheelbarrow; She danced in return.

    That faithful day on my way home, all I could think of was just coming home to relax and maybe prepare something quick for dinner because I felt so tired and sore, but that couldn’t just happen. I was met with something that could ruin my perfectly planned evening and leave me more sore than before.

    The minute I walked in I was welcomed with piles of ceiling board scattered everywhere. I was glad the repairs we were waiting for was finally done until I realized I’d be the one to clean up all the mess which made me frown. That thought hadn’t sank in when I heard mummy’s voice.

    “Drop your bag and quickly dispose those”. She said.

    “Dispose what?”, my eyes grew wide the minute I looked and saw how enormous it was, “Jesus! This plenty thing”.I exclaimed.

    “Is it this small thing that you’re calling plenty?. She replied staring at me in a typical African mother style.

    “But mummy we can give it to the scrap dealers, they’d find it useful”. I suggested still trying to dodge the chore.

    “Chika are you listening to yourself ? Have you ever heard of someone using an already used ceiling board? Its as good as useless so you’ll have to throw them away.

    “That means I’ll have to use a wheelbarrow”, because I knew there was no way in the world I’d be able to carry them with my tiny hands. I said slowly already dreading the experience.

    “Yes. There’s no other way Chika. You can’t avoid pushing the wheelbarrow today, so start now”.She said finally and walked inside. While I stood there dreading my fate, almost near tears.

    Where would I start from? How would i carry this all the way to the highway? What if i take the wrong step and the whole thing falls to the ground? I began grumbling and murmuring as I packed them inside the wheelbarrow.

    I began to question everything that could go wrong. Automatically my mind saw how big the problem was and blocked every opportunity of ever seeing how little it could turn out to be.

    I had accepted to push the wheelbarrow but would I reach my destination? Who knew?

    I held the handle firmly and lifted it up ready to move and the weight of the barrow broke my resolve yet again.

    I just pushed forward till suddenly the wheelbarrow started making sounds and I almost cried,”Oh God! This too”. I whispered.

    Someone even shouted “Chika this your wheelbarrow na case oh”.I almost opened the ground to enter (laughs).

    I knew the noise was due to its rusted nuts and being kept for years without been used.

    I continued pushing faster and faster and after some time suddenly, the sounds became hilarious, the sounds began forming a ridiculous rhythm.

    I was no longer frowning. I started dancing, not only that, I began laughing and humming to the sound it made (it was just so crazy). After that I formed a chorus and started singing and everyone thought I had gone mad. They laughed at me, waved and moved on. It felt nice.

    I did that till i saw my neighbor and he was going in the same direction so we walked side by side and engaged in an amazing conversation; reminiscing about my childhood and how I used to sit inside an empty wheelbarrow and tell my uncles (every tall man was an uncle to us) to push me while I jumped inside – laughs.

    As a child in the streets, a wheel barrow was like a mini car to me then, and we burst into laughter that before I realized it, i was home.


    I couldn’t believe it. I was happy. I leaped for joy at how easy it was. The next question that popped into my head was; why then did I think it was so difficult and so big to carry in the first place?

    Because I made my mind to think so. Because my mind thought so, I believed so and acted accordingly.

    The only good thing was that I didn’t ignore it. I did not run away like I wanted to. I did not procrastinate. I faced it head on. I pushed and I conquered. If I had looked away, if I hadn’t said yes, I wouldn’t have realized that I could do it and that it was not as difficult as it presented itself to be.

    Whether we like it or not problems would always be there. Resistant forces there to prevent you from successfully completing your goal. The reason why we hate them is because they make things so difficult. They get in the way of our plans. But like what you just read from the story. Don’t run. They can be conquered and you can’t know that until you walk through it.

    While you walk through it have fun in the process.

    Just like I had fun laughing at my silliness and singing together with my wheelbarrow. Have fun as you climb that mountain because a mountain that is easy to walk up is not fun to climb.

    Enjoy the challenge

    Whether its business, marriage, relationship or health challenge, bring God into it and you’ll find joy in the success.
    “Nothing in life is really fun unless you have something to laugh about”

    How has this story related to you? What decision would you make after reading this story? I would love to hear from you. Let’s talk in the comment section. Love and hugs ❤ xoxo.

  • Try erasing those mistakes again; I have a surprise for you.

    *laughs* You’re probably going to make the same mistake I just did. The funny thing is that we already have at the back of our mind that we are in the new year and the new decade. I mean some of us have laid out new year resolutions, visions, plans, scheduled events, hangouts, to do and do nots etc. Some have been singing 2020 since the month of September last year.

    So why then do more than half of the world’s population end up making this same mistake?

    Because changes are inevitable and we must adjust to them whether we like it or not and whether we are prepared for it or not.

    So I’m leaving you with this. This year comes with the full package of everything. I’m not going to beat my chest and tell you its all going to be all rosy and cozy. No. Like every other year its going to come with uncertainties. The best would be to be prepared but sometimes we don’t see the back of the dress we wear to know if it fits properly, so when those changes come, weather good or bad. Rise above those changes. Don’t run. Don’t hide. Don’t give excuses. Don’t shy away. Handle them. Handle those changes with God and a sound mind. Keep writing 2020 till no one notices 2019 was once written before No matter how many erasers break keep erasing it till it turns out perfect.

    Keep erasing the bad habits, garbages, negativity, low self esteem till you see the picture of the ‘you’ you’ve always envision to see radiate so brightly.

    PS – Don’t be shocked that I don’t have new year resolutions, or a list of how my last year went. The truth is what I’m going to tell you is not enough compared to what these four persons are going to share with you on the blog this month.

    Yes!!

    You heard right. I’ll be featuring four guest post from four people that made my year one of growth and daring to take chances. These people have blessed me with their wealth of knowledge, their expertise and their story, and I want you to get what I got, to see/feel the impact they’ve impacted and to learn what I have learnt from them. I’ll be posting each post every Friday in this month of January. So watch out for my next post this Friday and other posts to come.

    Thank you.

    Don’t stop sharing, liking and commenting on each post. Much love xoxo.