Mama's Got a Fake ID Conclusion

Part 3 Apply Your Findings

In her book, Rivadeneira works through the reasons God cares about our individual
identities and how God makes himself known to his people. She also shows women why
it’s not selfish to long to be known and loved for their true selves—as opposed to “just” as mom—and that in fact, revealing the complete woman God made you to be is key to doing “kingdom work.”

While acknowledging that the church hasn’t been particularly helpful in this area,
Rivadeneira also believes that if women want this change, they need to be willing to make it themselves. To help women reveal their real identities and live as God intended them to, she suggests moms need to do such things as:

* Get over the false guilt that keeps you from living as the woman God made you to
be.
* Find out what your “identity in Christ” really looks like. What misconceptions are
you harboring?

* Discover who God sees when he looks at you.

* Identify your gifts.

* Describe yourself in ways that show a piece of the real you.

* Treasure—don’t resent—your limitations.

* Become vulnerable.

She believes doing each of these things—along with drawing out and encouraging other
women—helps each of us live the life God created us to live, by blessing others and
ultimately changing the world through our God-given gifts.

Rivadeneira writes at the end of her book that this is all “pretty exciting stuff when you think that God has ordained each of us to share his grace and love and to transform the world for him! We are called to do it certainly through our children and through our roles as moms, but in all the other ways you’ve discovered as well.”

Discussion Questions

[Q] Do you find the call to transform the world through your children and other gifts
exciting or overwhelming, or both? Why?

[Q] In what ways do you believe God may be calling you to use your gifts to change the world or to show love and grace to another mom? “Mama’s Got a Fake I.D.”

[Q] What can you do today or this week to change the way others see you and your
contributions to the world?

— Ingrid Ramos is a freelance editor and writer. She lives with her family in the
suburbs of Chicago.

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