The Hand of Justice: A Creative Display of Faith

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy."  Proverbs 14:31 (NKJV)

I saw this verse earlier today while reading tweets from Reject Apathy, and thought that it fit well with the following contents of this post. I want to first backtrack a little bit so that this post is more meaningful than just a a few interesting looking pictures. I'm not trying to stand on the proverbial soapbox this morning, but I do want to make something clear - I am a woman of faith, specifically a Christian -- as in I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who lived among us in the flesh and died to make atonement for our sins so that through him we could once again have a right relationship with God the Father. I make plenty of mistakes, but I always come back to this foundation to get straightened back out. 

That being said, I have been one for a little over 12 years and have worked hard to incorporate my faith into every aspect of who I am. In recent years, I have wrestled with incorporating my faith into my work as an artist. I have been in a lot of church environments, and some lack outlets for creatives who want to express their faith in that way. I know that not every local body of worship is like that, but I know what it feels like to be a round peg that someone's trying to force into a square hole. So sharing the rest of this post brings me quite a bit of joy.

I live near Passion City Church, and for the last couple of weeks I have had a front row view to them erecting this monstrous hand at the front of their parking lot. Of course my first thought was, "What the...?" However, I kept watching and waiting until I realized that this hand was being raised to bring awareness to an issue I have been exposed to a lot over the last few years: human slavery. I support a number of ministries that work with Dalits, Southeast Asians, and other people groups that are at risk of being enslaved - whether it is hardened labor or for sex. So Proverbs 14:31 highlighted  that that burden I have this morning.

So last Saturday, after my adventures in Alpharetta, a friend and I decided to head over to the church lot and take a closer look at this hand. We got to speak with one of the members as well as the woman who designed the hand. What I loved was that she had no previous experience in this sort of work, but simply had a vision and got connected with people who could help her implement it. Whether you think the hand is art or ridiculous, the fact remains that someone took their faith and acted on it in a creative way - channeling it toward a burden God had placed on their heart. I cannot help but have the utmost respect for anyone who does that. It also was a much needed reminder to me that I am not only limited to the "typical" ways one can serve or bring Him glory.

So here are a few shots I took that night while the hand was being tested for the vigil that took place last night. These photos don't do it justice though. You really have to go see it for yourself. Everything that covers the hand are items that men, women, and children in slavery make for our consumption. Also, if the problem of human slavery is a burden on your heart, you should check out the 72 Days for Freedom site too.