Published 27 Mar 2026
Exploring our motivations
Finding rhythms for spiritual solace through discipline
A blog post Women Scholars and Professionals
How can we find an antidote to the excesses in our lives? It’s a question that’s worth pondering, and Karen Hice Guzmán explores the terrain boldly through Lenten practices. As she practices observation and fasting, her disciplines highlight her own journey toward balance and direct her into a more integrated way of living her life. It’s the kind of Lenten work that reveals our own struggles, and Karen’s writing invites us into her vulnerabilities and then gently turns the question back to us: where might God be suggesting that you could adjust your life patterns?
“ Rather than just thinking about fasting in terms of food (where excess is a bit more obvious) the invitation has been to look for excess, to ask hard questions about my observations, and then seek to limit or eliminate it.”
Spiritual disciplines create pathways into deeper self-awareness, connection with God, and faith-life integration. The gift of the discipline comes in the freedom and joy that arises from the practice. We’re reminded of Kathy Tuan-MacLean’s reflections on the spiritual discipline of indifference and the way this practice drew her more deeply into reflection and presence. (Kathy references the work of Adele Calhoun and her writing on the spiritual disciplines, if you’re looking for some resources.) What spiritual disciplines might God be inviting you to explore as you seek to live an integrated life? If you need help thinking this through, email us — we’d be happy to bounce ideas around with you.
“Indifference is a hard word. It seems antithetical to the way humans should be. Elie Wiesel says that indifference, not hatred, is the opposite of love. But in the prayer of indifference, we pray that we will be indifferent to everything except God’s will.”
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