The Husbandman

Two figures stand at the centre of the believer's life: the Vine, and the Husbandman who tends the Vine. Christ is the Vine, holding you up, feeding you, owning you. The Father is the Husbandman, watching every branch, training, pruning, caring with infinite skill.

Let this comfort you in the long evenings of the soul. You are not alone in your branch's smallness. You have a Father who is also a gardener — and what gardener neglects his vine, especially the one for which he gave his Son?

Whatever today brings — let it bring you closer to this twofold trust. Trust the Vine for life. Trust the Husbandman for everything else: every season, every climate, every cut of the knife. He knows his work, and he loves his Son too much to neglect his branches.