(Photo : Rachel Murray/Getty Images for Bumble)
Yvonne Orji is a household name but four years ago she was depressed and didn’t even have enough money to get to church.
In the third episode of her Jesus & Jollof podcast with fellow Nigerian writer Luvvie Ajayi, Yvonne revealed how she was passed over for job opportunities that went to friends who she recommended for the same positions. The letdown took a toll on her and the budding actress fell into a deeper depression.
Yvonne said she wanted to surround herself in darkness at home and lost the motivation to do things like shower, do her hair and makeup.
“I was literally looking depression in the face. I could have let it take me out but it was just like, ‘God I’ve done everything as right as I could,’” she recalled thinking. “‘I’m even helping other people live out their dreams when I don’t even have my dream yet. But I’m never going to be stingy I’m always going to be a giver.’”
Even though she didn’t have enough money to make it to church, Yvonne prayed for God to provide her with the means to volunteer, attend Bible studies and connect groups.
“I said ‘God if you want me to volunteer at the church I need gas money.’ And there was some times where I only had enough money to get to church or to get to the Bible study,” she revealed. “I was like, ‘God somebody is going to have to bless me with money to get back.’”
Even through her depression, she saw how God honored her efforts.
“Each time somebody on Facebook would be like, ‘hey God put it on my heart to give you $200 in your Paypal,’” she said. “I promise you.”
Gradually, Yvonne started to see God working in her life until one day when she finally broke down in tears over her life. After seeing so many successful young people living their dreams at the NBCUniversal Short Film Festival she recalled sobbing to her friend.
In that moment in October 2014, Yvonne recalled being mad at God. Still, she recalled the voice of the Holy Spirit telling her, “what’s in your hand?”
Yvonne didn’t understand what that meant, and God later told her to go to sleep. The next day she opened her Bible up to Psalm 31: 14-15 which states, “I trust in you, O Lord..my times are in your hand.”
A switch went off with the budding television star who felt a surge of motivation to work building her First Gen web series. Since then she has been cast on the hit HBO show Insecure which is currently in its third season.