Can Love Be Understood in Brokenness — Part Two

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
— Luke 17:20–21

There is a truth in these words spoken by Jesus—not only an invitation to walk on higher ground, but a reminder of something already embedded within us. Something essential. Something purposeful. Perhaps it is part of our very design, woven into our spiritual DNA.

What if understanding was never meant to remain metaphorical, but was intended to be lived as an inner compass—crafted by God to guide us toward truth? When we are unaware of that compass, or choose to ignore it because it conflicts with the life we have been living, we may feel resistance. Sometimes that resistance is inherited, unintentionally passed down through generations. Yet even then, it is not impossible to work through—if we are willing.

Reaching deeper into ourselves can be unsettling, especially when what we find does not align with who we have been until now. Change can be challenging. Change requires time. Patience. Trust. Looking within and noticing the fine details of our design sounds simple, but perhaps God never intended it to be rushed or forced.

I believe there is meaning in the parables Jesus left behind—parables that theologians have studied and debated for centuries. But what if the truth is simpler than we think? What if the message is not meant to complicate, but to restore?

What if we were never meant to live in constant stress, but in peace?

Peace does not always arrive because life is pleasing or orderly. It is a state that exists beyond circumstance—a peace that Jesus embodied, and one that other awakened souls throughout history have mastered. It is not passive, nor fragile. It is grounded.

Imagine a flower still in bud. If we become anxious for it to bloom and try to force it open before its time, we are left with scattered petals, not the full expression of what it was meant to become. Nature does not hurry itself. A flower blooms when ready. A river flows toward a greater body of water without resistance. There is no striving—only trust in its design.

Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when He said the kingdom of God lives within us.

When we find our inner place of peace, we are no longer called to force outcomes. We are called to trust. Just as a bud blooms in its own time, so does life unfold. And within that unfolding, meaning reveals itself—not through control, but through alignment.

Can we trust time? Can we trust God?

If the world learned to move with the flow of life rather than against it, we might recognize the flower when it is ready to be picked. And in understanding ourselves this way, our choices would naturally shift. We would begin to experience life as God intended—not fractured, not rushed, but whole.

To master this level of understanding, life can be fulfilling and enriched without force—natural, as it was always meant to be.

Like a flower in its most beautiful form—full of color, fragrance, and purpose.