In the "Better-Half" cartoon series, Bob Barnes pictured a husband and wife in their bedroom. The wife is combing her hair and "fixing" her face across the room from the husband who is struggling to get out of bed. He sits wearily on the side of the bed, bedraggled, and moans, "I hope in my next reincarnation I come back as something easier to be than a human being."

When I read that I remembered the word of Jules Pfieffer. "Getting out of bed in the morning is an act of false confidence."

It's not easy to be a human being. I say that dogmatically. Maybe, to be fair, I should ask a question, "Is it?" Is it easy to be a human being?

If your answer is yes to the question, this sermon is not for you. You can excuse yourself -- if you wish -- or find your favorite book in the Bible and read…