I haven’t celebrated my birthday before other than privately visiting motherless babies homes & my local parish. Same thing will happen tomorrow, maybe when I’m married I’ll be motivated to celebrate😂but hey I do not want to hear a king is born. Because I’m not the one 😩
Long post alert, but you should read this. It’s going to bless you.
I was doing my devotion today. Aside from my Bible study, I have a morning devotion where I read just one verse and stay with it.
Today’s verse was Ephesians 2:10.
It says we are God’s handiwork. Some translations say God’s masterpiece.
That word “handiwork” comes from the Greek word poiēma, which is where we get the English word poem.
Think about that for a moment.
God did not make you like a factory product rolling off an assembly line. He did not create you as a mass produced item with no thought or intention behind it. He crafted you with purpose, attention, and care. Every gift, strength, experience, personality trait, and even the journey that shaped you was woven together by a God who knew exactly what He was creating. Like a poet carefully choosing every word, God intentionally curated your life as an expression of His wisdom and creativity.
It made me so happy and emotional lol.
The verse says we are God’s handiwork, then it goes on to say that we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Notice the order!
The good works come after the identity, not before.
Identity before assignment!
You are not valuable because of what you produce. You produce because you already belong to God.
So if you couldn’t produce anything tomorrow, would you still be secure in your identity?
Say it: I am God’s poem. He curated me specially.
I’m Amarachi, 25. I live in Surulere. I pay ₦450k/year for a room in a 3-bedroom flat.
I share the kitchen, toilet, and fridge with two other girls. One is 23 and does TikTok dances at 2 AM. The other is 27 and her boyfriend visits five days a week.
I’m a product manager earning ₦550,000 monthly. It’s good money at 25.
Salary breakdown:
Rent ₦37.5k/month + NEPA ₦20k + Food ₦100k + Transport ₦25k + Contribution ₦50k + Mum ₦70k = ₦302.5k.
Left with ₦247.5k. I should be able to afford my own place.
But a 1-bedroom in Surulere costs ₦1.2M/year (₦100k/month). I have ₦900k saved and am ₦300k short.
My friends:
Aisha japa’d to Canada. She pays £1,200 for a 1-bed and complains.
Tomi got married at 23, lives in Ikeja, and posts ���my husband’s house.”
Chioma is 26, still with roommates, and just got promoted.
My mum calls weekly: “Amarachi, 25 and you’re still sharing a toilet? Your mates are married.”
In March, my 23-year-old roommate’s TikTok friend used my pot without washing it. I fought. The other girl said, “If you don’t like it, pack out.”
I checked my bank: ₦900k. Rent: ₦1.2M. Peace: ₦0.
In May, I moved into a ₦600k/year self-contained apartment in Gbagada, still in Lagos, 25 minutes from Surulere.
New breakdown:
Rent ₦50k/month + NEPA ₦18k + Food ₦150k + Transport ₦20k + Mum’s upkeep ₦80k = ₦318k.
I keep ₦232k/month, save ₦150k monthly, and use the remaining ₦82k for other expenses.
The flat is small with no balcony. But my pot is mine. My toilet is mine. No boyfriends visiting. No 2 AM dances.
Three months later, I posted a video of myself in the room.
Chioma DM’d: “I’m moving out next month. Please send me the agent’s number.”
Tomi commented: “My husband’s house is sweet, but this looks like freedom.”
Aisha: “I’d trade my £1,200 flat for this.”
My mum didn’t mention marriage for two months. She only said, “At least your pot is safe now and you own your toilet.”
I still go to work in Surulere, 25 minutes by bus. But I come home to silence. I come home to me.
At 25 in Lagos, you don’t need Lekki or a husband to be an adult. You just need a door that only your key opens. Everything else is noise.
I didn’t wait until 30 to choose peace. I took it at 25.