“I sleep with animals. I feel so terrible,” she said.
“You sleep with animals?” is all I could stutter in response.
“You just taught that we should not sleep with animals. You said it was a sin. I never realized that. I am so embarrassed. I sleep with my cat every night.”
I tried not to laugh as I responded, “You mean like the cat sleeps in the bed with you. Like at the foot of the bed or whatever?”
“Yes. I am …” she stuttered.
“Wait. You are okay. The verse I referenced was talking about SLEEPING with animals. Like having sex with them.”
“Oh! I have never done that!” she exclaimed.
“Okay. Then you are good.”
She headed off, happy towards the doors. I laughed and made a mental note to be more explicit in my language. Leviticus 18:23 is one of my favorite verses to illustrate how easy it is to follow God. It reads,