“A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not in the branch but in its own wings,” I am reading at the bottom of the back cover of a little book advertising courses for people who want to learn more.

I take it that it is a message for future students.

I don’t know what comes to your mind when reading that, but I am thinking of the verses at the beginning of the Bible that say that God created not only man, male and female, but also the birds. You can read that in Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 1:20.

Furthermore the Bible has a lot to say about people who trust in themselves and in others.

Psalm 49 tells us about he fate of those people who trust in themselves (Psalm 49:13). And Proverbs 28:26 says that “He who trusts in himself is a fool, …”

“Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils,” commands Isaiah 2:22 and Jeremiah 17:5 says “‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, …” Psalm 118:8 says, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

I said that I am thinking of the verses at the beginning of the Bible, when reading about the message to the future students. Why?

Because I know about the selfexistence of God (Exodus 3:13-15). God is the first cause of everything, but he himself is uncaused. God is the only independent being in the universe. Men are dependent beings.

We are willing to share ourselves, to sacrifice ourselves, but we are not willing to dethrone ourselves.