What can one learn from the natural world, especially from flowers and birds, which according to Kierkegaard are "divinely appointed teachers" for struggling humans? The three "pious reasons" for The lilies of the field and the birds of the air - and consequently the gospel passage they refer to - should not be read as an idyllic poem nostalgically describing nature and urging us to reconnect with it, but as a model for human education. Unconditional silence, unconditional obedience, unconditional joy: what is natural for flowers and birds is art for humans. However, humans are not only obliged to imitate them, but also to choose to learn from them silence, patience, and joy. In other words, we humans can and must choose ourselves, and only in this way can we ultimately become ourselves.