How do we use our leadership as adults? Specifically, how do we lead in contexts where there are children? The truth is, there are some conversations adults delay because they feel uncomfortable, awkward, or hard to begin. In particular, many parents put off conversations about body safety, bodily autonomy, and consent because they appear to be some of the most challenging conversations they will ever have with their kids. But as a follower of Jesus, a husband, a father, and the founder of the BLOOM SAFE MOVEMENT, I believe one of the most loving things we can do for children is tell them the truth before the world lies to them.

That truth begins here: every child is made in the image of God.

The Bible states,

“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” – Genesis 1 (NLT)

A child’s body is not an accident.
It is not a burden.
It is not shameful.
It is not public property.
A child’s body is fearfully and wonderfully made as the Psalmist so eloquently recounts:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
    and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
    Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
    as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
You saw me before I was born.
    Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
    before a single day had passed.”
– Psalm 139 (NLT)

Every child carries God-given dignity from the top of their head to the bottom of their feet, which is why body safety is not a secular distraction from faith. It is an act of discipleship, protection, love, and service.

So, I am excited to announce that my very first children’s picture book, My Body Is for Myself, is now available along with my recently published book for adults, The God Hour: A Sixty-Day Leadership Journal. When I wrote My Body Is For Myself I wanted to give children simple, memorable language for something deeply important: their bodies are a gift from God that belongs to them and them alone. The book teaches body safety, body autonomy, consent, and age-appropriate ways to recognize and respond to unsafe touch. It was written in gentle rhyming language and was created to support caregiver conversations, not replace adult responsibility, professional training, or actual safeguarding practices.

So, is the phrase “my body is for myself” a rejection of God’s authority? Absolutely not. “My body is for myself” is not a rejection of God, it is a rejection of abuse, coercion, secrecy, manipulation, and shame. The Bible declares,

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6 (NLT)

So, if the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, then protecting the body is a way to honor God.

Jesus was also very clear about the value of children when he said,

“Let the children come to me.” – Matthew 19 (NLT)

And also,

“So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” – Matthew 18 (NLT)

Jesus is clearly not neutral toward child protection! He welcomes children. He blesses children. He defends children. He calls adults to defend children. No exceptions.

That means Christian families, churches, schools, ministries, and communities should never be silent where children need safety. On the contrary, believers should be the first to teach children that their “no” matters. We should be the first to teach adults that affection is never owed. We should be the first to make our homes and churches places where children can ask hard questions without fear, get the support they need when they are in danger, and find the safe adults that will defend them even when it challenges us to face the toughest parts of the human experience.

Consent, rightly understood, is not rebellion. It is respect.

When we teach a child that they do not have to hug, kiss, sit on a lap, or accept unwanted touch simply to please an adult, we are not teaching disrespect or dishonor, we are teaching wisdom; we are teaching that real love is never forced; we are teaching that a child can honor their parents and respect adults without surrendering the God-given dignity of their own body.

The fact is, the Bible does not give adults permission to dominate, exploit, or abuse children. Instead, it calls the strong to protect the vulnerable,

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
    ensure justice for those being crushed.
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
    and see that they get justice.” – Proverbs 31 (NLT)

The prophet Isaiah calls God’s people to seek justice and defend the oppressed,

“Learn to do good.
    Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
    Defend the cause of orphans.
    Fight for the rights of widows.” – Isaiah 1 (NLT)

These are not optional side missions. They are central to our walk with God and so also are central to the BLOOM SAFE MOVEMENT and my children’s book, My Body Is For Myself.

To expand on that just a bit, I wrote the BLOOM SAFE: MAKE AMERICA THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE A KID ACT to help create a world where every child grows, learns, and thrives free from sexual harm. The movement seeks to mobilize public, private, and faith-based partners around a comprehensive, evidence-driven blueprint to end child sexual abuse through education, empowerment, and care. Its five pillars include education and prevention, adult training and certification, public awareness and starting the national conversation, universally available trauma-informed survivor support and advocacy, and a robust foundation of ongoing peer-reviewed scientific research.

The mission of defending children is urgent because according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys will be victims of sexual violence before the age of 18 in the United States today. That means that at the current rates, about 400,000 of the children born each year will experience sexual abuse before they reach the age of 18 if we don’t take material action to change the outcomes our culture is creating today. I cannot say this any more strongly, children cannot and should not have to carry this burden alone. Education is one of the greatest gifts we can give a child, but children should never be left to defend themselves. And so, I created a “For The Adult Reader” afterword of My Body Is for Myself to provides easy to understand and straightforward ways that parents can take action to defend the children they care for and love. Children need awareness, understanding, language, confidence, safe adults, and resources for healing. And so it is on us as adults to become educated about child sexual abuse (CSA) and child exploitation so we can become safe adults for the children we love and care for.

Our faith must become action.

It is not enough to say, “Children are a blessing,” while refusing to talk about the things that threaten them. It is not enough to say, “God will protect them,” while we fail to create safer homes, churches, classrooms, teams, and ministries. God answers so many prayers for protection by calling His people to courage, preparation, wisdom, and intervention where it is needed.

A Bible-based view of body safety says every child should know the proper, scientific, medically accurate names for their body parts as God made them. Every child should know the difference between safe touch and unsafe/unwanted touch. Every child should know they can say no to unwanted physical affection. Every child should know that secrets that make them scared or uncomfortable should be told to a safe adult. Every child should know that if someone harms them, the shame belongs to the person who harmed them, not to the child.

And every adult should know how to listen and respond appropriately with respect, compassion, and effective support and defense.

One of the most powerful things a parent or caregiver can say is, “You can tell me anything. I will listen. I will help you. You are not in trouble.” Those words can become a lifeline.

In the Kingdom of God, children are not inconveniences or accidents. They are not accessories to adult life or objects to be used. They are image-bearers, entrusted to our care. Protecting them is not political. It is biblical. It is pastoral. It is parental. It is moral.

My Body Is for Myself is just one small tool for beginning these conversations. The BLOOM SAFE ACT is a broader call to communities, leaders, churches, schools, policymakers, professionals, and families to work together until every child is safe and supported.

This work requires courage. It requires humility. It requires adults to become comfortable having conversations that may feel uncomfortable, awkward, tragic, or even funny at first. But love does not avoid hard things. Love protects. Love tells the truth. Love prepares. Love listens. Love acts.

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.” – 1 John 4 (NLT)

May we become the kind of adults children can run to, not hide from.

May we build homes where truth is safe.

May we build churches where children are protected as fiercely as they are welcomed.

May we build a nation where every child can grow, learn, and thrive free from sexual harm.

And may every child know, deep in their heart, this simple and sacred truth:

Their body matters to God.
Their voice matters to God.
Their safety matters to God.
Their body is a gift from God for them.

And so, they should be able to declare boldly in all circumstances and situations,

“MY BODY IS FOR MYSELF!“

To Buy My Body Is For Myself, get it today on Amazon.com

To get involved with THE BLOOM SAFE MOVEMENT, please read and sign the BLOOM SAFE PETITITION.