How to Share Your Faith Using Madonna's Adoption
Madonna's long had a flair for making waves and making news, so it's not surprising that her recent announcement regarding her adoption of a 1 year old Malawi boy, David Banda, has created some controversy. Supporters of her adoption efforts praise her for drawing attention to the plight of millions of children in Africa who struggle for daily survival and for rescuing one child from a difficult life. She has committed to raising $3,000,000 to help Malawi orphans and to donating $1,000,000 of her own money toward the cause. Madonna's critics charge that she has used her star power and money to buy special treatment and short circuit the Malawi laws that prohibit international adoptions.
Appearing recently on The Oprah Winfrey Show to defend her adoption efforts, Madonna disclosed that David has lived in an orphanage since he was two weeks old. David's mother, brother and sister all died of AIDS. His father, who is still alive, made the decision to place him in the orphanage because he could not care for him, and approves of Madonna's efforts to adopt his son, believing it while provide David with a better life.
Regardless of whether you are supportive or critical of Madonna's adoption efforts, adoption is a topic that provides a great conversation starter for sharing your faith. Check out this amazing description of how God has adopted us into his family in Ephesians 1:3-12:
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people--free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. (The Message)
Can you imagine what it would be like to move from the poverty of an orphanage in Africa into Madonna's mansion? The spiritual reality is that God is inviting every one of us to move from the spiritual poverty of sin and separation from God, into an abundant life where our relationship with God is restored through Jesus, and where we become sons and daughters of the King of the Universe! The gift of adoption into God's family is real and eternally life-changing!
So look for ways to use Madonna's adoption of David Banda to move your conversations toward God talk. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Ask your friends what they think of Madonna's adoption efforts.
- Once you're an adult, would you ever consider adopting a child in need of a loving, caring home? Do you think it would take a lot of sacrifice?
- What do you think it would be like to go from the poverty of an orphanage in Africa to the lavish lifestyle of the rich and famous?
- Ask your friends if they realize that on a spiritual level, God's invited us through Jesus, to walk away from our spiritual poverty and be adopted into the rich blessings of a life as His child. For help explaining this, check out the GOSPEL Journey.
Let your friends know that they have a heavenly Father who longs to adopt them into his family and rescue them from a life of spiritual separation from Him. Let them know the adoption offer is out there and the choice is theirs!
