My Masterpiece Moment Short Answers
Questions pg. 20-22
1. How do you think most people answer the self-reflective questions, “Who am I?”
Most people will answer the question by talking about their occupation or characteristics
about themselves. Some might answer it by describing the things they excel in.
2. What are some of the negative messages that can cause spiritual and emotional
paralysis? Which of these trouble you the most?
According to Nichols (2017, p.12), the negative messages that play out in people’s minds
are: “Failures from my past still haunt my mind.”
“I feel euphoric when I help people, but I feel terrible when I fail or when I try they don’t
appreciate my efforts.”
“If I could just get into a career that I enjoy doing, then I’d really be happy, but it never
seems to work for me.”
For me the most troubling is, “I feel euphoric when I help people, but I feel terrible when
I fail or when I try they don’t appreciate my efforts.”
3. Look at the list of characteristics under “Everything Changes.” Which two or three
of these are most attractive to you? Which seem beyond reach? Explain your
answer.
The two that are the most attractive to me are: 1.“We no longer obey God’s rules out of
guilt or fear of being punished. Instead, we obey because we want to please Jesus, the
one who obeyed to the point of death for our sake.”
2. “God knows even the worst about us, he loves us still, so we no longer have to hide our
sins from Him.” (Nichols, 2017, pg. 13-14).
The one that seems beyond reach for me is: “When people hurt us, we forgive out of the
overflowing well of our experience of God’s amazing forgiveness.” (Nichols, 2017, p.
14). I have been hurt a lot and it has been so hard to forgive. I can forgive more easily
when the person admits their wrong and asks for forgiveness; but it is hard when they do
not. I know that God has forgiven me for so much and that I need to freely offer that
forgiveness to others. I know that by forgiving them even when they do not ask, I am
essentially freeing myself.
4. Paraphrase Ephesians 2:10. Do you see yourself as God’s masterpiece? Why or why
not?
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ for good works that God has
prepared for us that we should walk in them. Yes, I do see myself as God’s masterpiece. I
am fearfully and wonderfully made to do the work that He has created me to do.
Everything that I have experienced has uniquely qualified me to minister to the people
that He sets before me.
5. As you continue reading, it is important to remember that information without
application has very little lasting value. What you do matters. So, what do you hope
to get out of this book? What difference do you hope this book will make in your
life?
I hope to have a greater appreciation of the fact that I am God’s masterpiece and I am
created on purpose for a specific purpose. This book will make a difference in my life
because it will help me to change my perspective and help to renew my mind to the
goodness of God and make me more aware of my negative thought patterns and give me
the tools to combat them with God’s promises.
Questions pgs. 40-42
1. What is your favorite commercial? What is the surface promise for the product
or service? What is the deeper promise of how it will give the ultimate happiness
and meaning? What are some of the reasons we believe in the promise?
I don’t have a favorite commercial. I rarely have time to watch tv.
2. How does comparison poison our hearts and ruin relationships? Many people
compare appearance, possessions, and positions. What do you naturally
compare? How does it affect you when you’re doing better than others? And
when you are not?
Theodore Roosevelt stated that “comparison is the thief of joy.” Galatians 6:4 says,
“Don’t compare yourself with others. Just look at your own work to see if you have
done anything to be proud of.” Comparison can cause us to feel jealousy towards the
very people we are to be in covenant with and causes dissatisfaction with our own
lives because we want what they have. I naturally look at people and compare
bodies. I am a mother of six and have a condition called disastis recti which causes
me to have an abdominal pooch. I am constantly comparing myself to women who
have flat bellies. It makes me feel great when I see someone whose belly is bigger
than mine. I sometimes feel subconscious when I see someone who has a six pack.
3. We can develop a restless spirit when we compare, compete, or conform to what
others say we should be. Describe some specific ways Satan tempts, deceive, and
accuses. Which of these is a problem for you? Explain your answer.
According to Nichols (2017, p. 31) “Satan does not have to look far for materials to
tempt, deceive and accuse us. He has plenty of resources in the persuasive
advertising, our incessant comparing of ourselves with others, and our flawed human
nature that longs for things that cannot satisfy.” Satan also distorts truth in his attempt
to entice us into doing wrong. For me the one he uses the most is trying to distort
truth to have me to doubt God and myself. It is a constant battle of the mind and
pulling down the lies and combatting them with God’s truth.
4. If God’s love is so attractive, why do we make excuses and resist him? How
would you identify your excuses? In what ways do you resist God’s grace?
I think people make excuses and resist God because they believe that they are too
sinful and are not worthy of His love. They keep rehearsing false myths about
themselves that keep them locked in either a cycle of pride and shame (Nichols,
2017). I resists God’s grace mainly by using this one myth outlined by Nichols. “If I
don’t obey God perfectly, Jesus won’t claim me as His own” (2017, p. 32). I am so
hard on myself most of the time. I don’t allow myself to embrace God’s grace
because I do not extend grace to myself.
5. How does God’s sacrifice on the cross begin or continue to restore the
masterpiece God is creating in you?
Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross continues to restore the masterpiece God is creating in
me because it shows that even when I was a sinner, God loved me enough to allow
His son to die in my place. He knew everything I would experience and everything I
would do and yet He still choose to die for me. It is a humbling thought. I also know
that He sees the value in me and that my story is not yet finished and He is healing all
the broken places in me and making it beautiful.
Questions pgs. 56-58
1. What difference does it make (or might not make if you choose to believe it) for you
to be convinced—in good times and bad—that you belong to God?
It makes a huge difference. Knowing that I belong to God during the good times and bad
provides a solid foundation for me to stand on. I know that I can trust God and
understand that He is faithful and that there is an aspect of His character that can only be
revealed to me during times of trials.
2. Pick two of the “I am” statements and two of the “I have” statements that are most
meaningful to you. How do these comfort you? How do they challenge you to live
more confidently and boldly?
I am complete in Jesus Christ. (Colossians 2:10).
I am the recipient of exceedingly great and precious promises by God which I share His
nature. (2 Peter 1:4).
I have a love so vast it can never be fully grasp.
I have resources that can never be exhausted.
These statements comfort me because I know that God loves me with an unfailing love
and that I never stop Him from loving me. His promises are mine and I do not have to
earn them. They are part of my inheritance as His daughter and I just need to claim His
promises for me life.
It challenges me to live more boldly and confidently when times are hard and it seems
like I do not have an abundance of resources to meet all my family’s needs. I am
challenged in my prayers to come to the Father as a beloved daughter and not an orphan
because I have been adopted into His family.
3. All of us have some sense of resistance to the extravagance of God’s amazing love
and our new identity. How would you define and describe your resistance? How
will you overcome it?
I resist by pointing out my insecurities and my short comings. I question whether God
meant for me to do these things or if He spoke to the wrong Kelle. I will overcome by
reminding myself that God does not call the equipped, He equips the called. I will
remind myself that He did not leave me alone but He left me the Comforter, who resides
inside of me, who will lead and guide me in all truth and show me the way I should go.
4. How does the realization that we live in the tension between the “already” and the
not yet give you perspective, peace, and confidence?
It gives me peace because I know that the blessings of being God’s child are mine for
today but I will not fully become until eternity.
5. In this chapter, we learned that God is not only the Master Artist but He is also the
Divine Scultptor. How has God used difficulties, conflicts, and disappointments to
bring you to the end of yourself.
God brought me to end of myself during a time when my husband was unemployed for
almost a year and we had to become totally dependent and reliant upon Him to supply our
needs. Neither one of us during that time could get a job. It was a time of stretching and
a time of having our faith tested. But, during it all, God proved His faithfulness.
6. What is God’s loving purpose for allowing these painful events in our lives? What’s
the difference between godly brokenness and depression?
God allows these painful events in our lives to make us more Christ like. Nichols (2017)
says that godly brokenness is a God induced situation that stretches us beyond our
abilities and confidences, and hopefully induces a growth spurt in our spiritual journey.
I believe that depression is a state of emotional dysfunction where people lose hope and
have difficulty coping with daily life functions.
Questions pgs. 77-79
1. Have you ever watched an artist paint a portrait or landscape? Why do you think
they take such pains putting the background before they work on the main subject?
Yes, I have. I think the backdrop provides the foundation that can be built upon.
2. Describe the spiritual process of “changing clothes”? How does this metaphor help us
to understand the choices in repentance?
When we change our clothes, we first recognize that our clothes are dirty. It is the same in
the spirit. We must first realize that we are dirty and that we need to remove or exchange
our “old self” for the “new self”. We cooperate with the Spirit of God to change our
clothes (Nichols, 2017. p.65). It helps me to understand repentance because I have a choice
to give God my dirty clothes (resentment, gossiping, lies, and any other attitude that does
not reflect His glory) and put on the clean clothes of His righteousness.
3. Which of the several examples Paul used to illustrate the metaphor can you apply
today? Explain how you’ll do it.
Paul said, “Don’t speak destructively, but use your words constructively.” For the last few
weeks I have been asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand the power of my words. I
know that “Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:22). The words I
speak create the world I live in. I have made a vow not to speak a word until I can speak
God’s word concerning my situation. I have written down daily declarations that I am
speaking over my life and my family. According to Job 22:28, “I shall decree a thing and
it shall be established.”
4. Which of the growth principles comes easy for you? Which one is difficult but
necessary? What can you do to begin implementing it the right way? What
difference will it make in your life?
The growth principle that comes easy for me is keeping the faith. The one I find most
difficulty is maintaining physical health. I am not overweight. But I know that I can take
better care of my body. I need to start by doing some physical exercise for at least 30
minutes a day. It will make a huge difference in the condition of my body and my energy
level. I will be in a better condition to do the work that God has called me to do.
5. Which of the forgiveness myths have plagued you? Explain your answer.
“I’ll never forget the hurt of what she did to me, so I can’t forgive her.” I felt that way for a
long time with my biological dad. He caused tremendous hurt in my life and I did not
think he deserved my forgiveness. But it was revealed to me that my lack of forgiving him
was hindering my relationship with God because I was viewing Him through the lens of
my earthly father.
6. As you read that section of the chapter, who came to mind that you need to forgive.
From whom do you need to ask for forgiveness?
I need to forgive my mom and ask for forgiveness from my children.
7. What are some reasons that you need both persistence and patience as we apply the
principles in this chapter?
We need patience because some of the changes are not going to happen overnight. We
must be consistent in our goals for them to happen. We need persistence because they will
be times when we feel like giving up but we need to understand our why and keep going.
We are constantly warring against our flesh.
Questions pgs. 91-93
1. How does it encourage you to know that someday your portrait will be completely
finished?
It is encouraging to know that God will one day finish me as His masterpiece. I am created
in His image and when He created man, He said it was good. One day, I will be made
perfect in Christ Jesus and all of my sins will be swept away.
2. In his famous sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” C.S. Lewis reminds us of five glorious
blessings we can anticipate when we enter into our eternal home. If we are living in
the light of these promises, how should it be reflected in our lives?
Paul says that we are to be a holy sacrifice and that our lives are to be different from the
world around us. One day we shall be perfect in Christ. Our disappointments and failures
are opportunities for us to become more like Christ. We never lose hope but we set our
hopes on Him. We are to be His reflection on the earth and His light shining through us
should draw all men unto Him.
3. How does your new identity in Christ give you a greater sense of belonging, worth,
and competence?
My new identity in Christ gives me a greater since of belonging and worth because I know
that I am adopted into His family and that I am loved and accepted and most importantly
wanted. He does not view me as an orphan but as a beloved daughter. I know that I can
come before Him, broken, hurt, disappointed, and during times of joy and that He will
welcome me with open arms. I am His crown jewel and He finds me worthy and
competent to do the work that is before me.
4. How do you describe “ambidextrous faith”? on a scale of 0 to 10 how much of your
life is characterized by an ambidextrous trust in God? Explain your answer.
Ambidextrous faith is a type of faith that welcomes both pleasure and pain because they
know that are part of God’s plan for their lives. I feel like I am at a 6 right now. I do not
always welcome the pain and see it as an opportunity to serve God’s plan for my life and
that the brokenness is not always wanted even though it produces beauty after the process.
5. How does real, rigorous, deep worship refocus our hearts and change our lives?
What are some specific ways you can experience this kind of worship more fully and
more often?
Rigorous and deep worship refocuses our hearts and changes our lives because it takes the
focus off ourselves and our circumstances and put it on the God. And as we sit in His
presence, a transformation takes place and we become more like the one we are beholding.
I can experience this kind of worship more often by making space for it during my day. I
need to have specific times for devotion and worship to cultivate a hunger for that
relationship.
6. What are two of the most important principles you have learned from this book?
How have they begun to change your life? How do you expect them to change it even
more?
One of the main things that have impacted me about this book is the fact that I am God’s
masterpiece. I too often view myself through my failures and not in light of my growth
and transformation in Christ.
Another thing that stood out was the I Am statements. They were not a new concept with
me, but I realized that I have not been claiming them and letting them take root in my
heart. They have begun to change my life because they are transforming my mind. I
expect even more change because I will confidently walk in my God given identity and
purpose.
7. Since our purpose in life is to be ambassadors and to radiate the love of the Lord
Jesus, what are some specific ways that your life and testimony reflect His image?
One specific way that my life and testimony reflects His image is in the restoration of my
family. I grew up in a dysfunctional single parent home and now my children are growing
up in a god-fearing home raised by two parents. I know that I am called to be His prophet
and minister to women and children. I am called to help woman realize their identity in
Christ and help them to find their purpose. Sometimes I have to speak hard truths to them
in love but it pushes them forward in the end.
