The Hidden Benefit of Life Not Working out as Planned
Once there was a vineyard owner who had a large grove of olive trees. One day, he noticed that some of his trees began to rot. To prevent his beloved trees from perishing, he pruned and nourished them.
After some time, small new branches began to grow, but the master of the vineyard noticed the top of the tree was starting to decay.
“It grieveth me that I should lose this tree.” The master of the vineyard said to his servant.
With great care, the vineyard owner and his servant put considerable work into the olive trees. After consistent pruning, digging about, nourishing, and grafting, the precious olive trees still yielded wild, unusable fruit.
Even with all the work the master put into his vineyard, the fruit of his trees was worthless. He considers burning all of the trees as the master of the vineyard laments:
“But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened my hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it… and it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard.”
His wise servant responds:
“Is it not the loftiness of thy vineyard — have not the branches thereof overcome the roots…
