Slumdog Millionaire

Last Sunday, the movie “Slumdog Millionaire” won a total of 8 Oscars and became the darling of the 2009 Academy Awards Ceremony. It’s the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, India, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India’s “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?”. But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. He tells of their adventures together on the road and of vicious encounters with local gangs.

While watching these beautiful children on stage donned in tuxedos and gowns, I did not realize that some of them were literally plucked out of the slums to fill roles in the movie, in spite of having no prior acting experience. It was so heartbreaking to see the desperate poverty from which they came. And yet, now they have been on one of the grandest stages in the entertainment world. Wow! Out of all the millions of children living in such abject poverty, these few children not only got to see Hollywood and Disney World, but their families will be moved into living quarters far better than they could have ever imagined.

And yet, many questions could be asked. What if they had never been chosen? What if upon being chosen, they had declined? What if the film was not nominated? The list of questions can go on and on. While sitting at your computer in a place that has electricity and running water, you may ask, “So, what does this have to do with me?”

We ourselves were slumdog millionaires! We were spiritually impoverished, on our way to an eternity in hell, with no hope of our lives ever improving (Romans 7:18-24). Ever! Yet Christ came along and offered us the opportunity of a lifetime (Ephesians 2:1-10). It was the opportunity to become God’s child, and to play the perfect role for which He created us on His grandest of stages: God’s Kingdom. If we simply do what our director (The Holy Spirit) instructs us, we will receive far more than our eternal reward and better living conditions. We will continue to be with Him for eternity. And that certainly has to be beyond our wildest expectations (Luke 23:39-43). I certainly do invite your thoughts.