For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galatians 2:19-21).

Years ago, Galatians 2:19-21 perplexed me. I didn’t know then that it was the truth that would release me from an identity bind I was in. 

There is help that comes with being in a bind. That help is the desperation that drives us to get released from it. Today I am sharing a parable about the release from my bind into Christ, our Real ID. 

When I arrived at Law School, I was given a list of rules to follow. The students who diligently obeyed these rules—and tried to get others to do so—were called Keepers.

Other students also used the list as a guideline for behavior; for them it was a list of rules to break. They were called Breakers.

By following the list of rules religiously, I became a Keeper. The respect I got from this group boosted my ego. I spent all my time with them. (That included meeting daily in the dining hall where we devoured fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.)

As time passed, however, I got increasingly tired and depressed. The list became oppressive. I thought about defecting to the Breakers, but I knew I wouldn’t get any respect from them. Besides, I’d seen the lonely empty look in their eyes, even while they were “living it up.”

I felt trapped. 

In desperation I transferred to Grace U. 

There I met a Friend. I would ask my Friend what I should and shouldn’t be doing, but He would just smile and take my hand. He proved to be a delightful companion who laughed with me and cried with me. He went everywhere with me, including to the dining hall. (Where, by the way, we savored fruit from the Tree of Life.)

Sometimes when He would stop to help someone who had fallen, I would get frustrated. Sometimes He would urge me to say kind words to a person I didn’t like. Sometimes I would go off to do my own thing. But then I would miss Him and hurry back. 

Gradually I began to relax. I began to trust my Friend. He began to share His heart with me and the things that interested Him began to interest me, too. I found that life at Grace U was abundant above my wildest dreams, for I met the love of my life there.

If you find yourself in a bind, how could a transfer from Law School to Grace U (your Real ID) help?