Biting my Tongue

Thursday, March 12th
The Spiritual Discipline of Biting My Tongue
By: Sheila Sonon

There was a time in my life when being diligent as a parent meant making lunches, signing permission slips, and checking homework that somehow always appeared at 9:30 p.m. Those days were busy—but in some ways, they were simple. My role was clear.
Now my kids are adults.

No more packing lunches. No more school projects made out of poster board and glue sticks. Instead, I find myself watching them make life decisions—jobs, relationships, finances, faith. And suddenly I realize something uncomfortable: I can’t manage their lives anymore.

Trust me, I’ve tried.

There’s a part of me that wants to guide every step. I want them to choose what I think is right. I want their path to line up neatly with the plan I imagine in my head. But somewhere in the middle of all that concern, God gently reminds me of something humbling:
It’s not about what I think their life should look like.  It’s about what God is calling them into.
That realization can feel both freeing and terrifying.

In 2 Peter 1:10, Peter encourages believers to “make your calling and election sure.” For a long time, I read that as pressure—like another spiritual task on my already full to-do list. But I’m starting to see it differently.

This verse isn’t about controlling outcomes. It’s about faithfully walking with God ourselves.
As parents of grown children, we can’t choose their calling. We can’t force their faith. What we can do is live ours—steadily, honestly, and sometimes imperfectly.

We pray.
We trust.
We let God be God.

And occasionally we bite our tongues… which, if we’re honest, may be the most spiritual discipline of all.

Because in this new stage of life, diligence doesn’t look like packed lunches.
Sometimes it looks like surrender.