SHE IS …. Kristin Ungerecht
I’m a tea-drinking, Jesus-loving story-teller living life in Northern Kentucky. I like to think of myself as a brave heart bursting out of a shy shell and believe in chasing after Jesus into bold adventures, even when it seems crazy. (I recommend doing so wearing red lipstick.) I have my hands in many cookie jars these days, working as a self-employed virtual assistant and serving on staff for Pursuit Community, where I’m point person for the community group leaders and hospitality director for the bi-annual conferences. I’m also trying to concentrate on writing and speaking more, something that is both exciting and slightly terrifying for me, and hopefully launching a little journal project soon!
I’ve truthfully never been on a date and really have never been properly asked. (I have a few creeper stories I could share, but that’s about it!) I do hope to marry someday and in this season of my life I would be open to dating should that door open for me. I’m waiting for the Lord to bring a man after His heart my direction but I’m by no means waiting to live my life! I’m focused on living each day and walking in the callings the Lord has placed on my heart and that’s such an exciting – and challenging – adventure!
SHE IS GRATEFUL:
What are you most grateful for/has been the biggest blessing of singleness?
I’m grateful for the way the Lord satisfies my heart. I’ve had several years now where I’ve been able to come to know Him in a fuller way as I’ve walked out life. He’s constantly showing me who He is and the way He cares for me is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.
I’m thankful for this time where my schedule is flexible, my resources are my own, and I can move in and out of places as He leads me to do so. I travel fairly often these days for work, for conferences I want to attend, on missions trips, and every now and then to simply travel. It’s really nice to have that freedom and flexibility that not every woman has once she is married or having children. It feels like there is so much possibility open to me and that is a huge blessing!
SHE IS INDEPENDENT:
What have you done on your own that you are most proud of?
There are many little moments, honestly. Boarding my first flight at 18 to go on a missions trip to Brazil. Having my photography in a local art gallery. Holding hands with a little girl in Romania and praying the boldest prayer I’ve ever prayed to see her set free. Navigating New York City’s subway system on my own for the first time. Speaking at my church one Sunday on satisfaction in Christ. Saying yes to things that make my legs shake. Little or big, there are so many opportunities in my life I’m thankful to have been able to live out!
SHE IS CONTENT:
How do you pursue contentment and joy?
By pursuing the One who gives those things! I’m so aware – and constantly reminded – that Jesus is all and everything I need. When I seek Him out, I’m covered in peace and can walk in contentment and joy. It’s a really beautiful thing to experience over and over again!
SHE SHARES ADVICE:
What have you learned through singleness that you wish you could tell your younger self?
Lovely, it is all okay. It is okay to admit – to yourself and out loud – that you want this. Love. Relationship. Marriage. God created it and it is good! It is also more than okay to not have it right now. The days you are living through, they’re good days. They’re growing days. They’re days imbued with far more purpose than you can know right now. Live them out. Live out out loud and full of love – for the Lord, for those around you and for yourself. Keep moving where Jesus is calling you and trust that He holds the future just as much as He holds you. Your life is worth living as much now as it would ever be in a possible future with a ring on your left hand. Relationship status does not (and should not ever be given room to) define you. Be who you are – each and every day. Leave the rest at His feet and in His hands and go on with what’s in front of you, full of peace and joy.
SHE IS ADVENTUROUS:
What has been the most exciting thing you have done throughout your single years?
It has definitely been wrapped up in missions work. The Lord really began to transform my heart and start pulling out a greater sense of bravery in me in high school and I only truly noticed when I turned 18. I went on my first missions trip – to Brazil – just after my high school graduation. But the most adventurous missions trip for me was my first trip to Ecuador in 2014. I loved every minute of the ministry work – serving at the orphan care home, interacting with the children there, going into jungle villages to minister and share the Gospel. It was all so so good!On our day off to explore, the team went on a very interesting ATV excursion through the mountains. I had an accident where I ended up flipping my ATV into the side of the mountain and severely broke my ankle. The entire evening was an adventure – from being taken to a hospital with chickens out front to checking myself out of another hospital AMA and riding three hours through the night in a van to reach a private hospital and have y time of my life. This was easily the most clear time I felt peace that passes understanding. So many people around the world were praying for me and I was able to see God’s people come together to take care of me in such a unique way. Of course there were moments of pain and shaken bravery in the journey, but God was so close to me throughout the entire journey. It’s really helped to shape my faith… and easily the most adventurous thing that has ever happened to me!
SHE CELEBRATES WITH OTHERS:
How many weddings have you celebrated with friends? What do you love about being a bridesmaid?
Oh, so many! I used to photograph weddings, actually, so I’ve been to my fair share of “the happiest day” of many couples’ lives! I’ve been a bridesmaid for dear friends three times so far, and I wouldn’t be surprised if I add a few more to that number in the next couple of years. I love the excitement and extra time together that being in the bridal party brings! It’s been a lot of fun for me to celebrate with my friends at bridal showers, while dress shopping, bachelorette parties, and the little coffee dates and celebratory dinners in between. I have personally never dreaded my friends’ weddings or seen it cause mourning in my heart and I’m so thankful for that. I believe that if we’re focused on running our own race with Christ at the center of every heartbeat and acknowledging and surrendering when we’re not, those moments of celebration and genuinely being happy for others come much more easily.
SHE CLINGS TO TRUTH:
What is your favorite truth/bible verse to combat the lies of the world?
That is so difficult to pin down! I think the verse(s) change often as my heart shifts and tries to make sense of things. The Lord is so faithful to bring to mind verses and truth for what I’m wrestling through in every situation. I’m so thankful for that!
I go back to Isaiah 26:3 and Psalm 139 a lot. Isaiah 26:3 talks about trusting in and focusing my mind on the Lord and how that brings perfect peace. (Because He is perfect peace!) Psalm 139 is a beautiful reminder of how intentionally God created me, that He knows me so intimately, and that He has purpose for each of my days.
Proverbs 3:5-6 has also meant a lot to me in this current season of my life. I read it in a fresh way recently and I realized that I had started leaning on my own understanding of my life. It was really effecting my heart and when I read this passage I suddenly saw that a huge part of trust is leaning on Him even when I don’t understand. There’s so much in life that our finite minds aren’t able to grasp. Surrendering the desire to know everything in favor of trusting the Lord with it all is such a hard but important lesson I’ve been learning.
SHE SEEKS WISDOM:
What is your favorite resource for singles?
Honestly, I don’t delve much into the singles genre because I’ve found a lot of them haven’t been helpful to me personally. I seem to struggle to identify with a lot of the material for single women that is out there because the majority of the time, I’m not grieving over being single or waiting until I say I do for my life to start. I’m the girl who wants to live my life to the fullest and recognizes that God’s will for my life right now is the fullest life I can live in these days. I don’t want to feel like I’m being consoled or focus my energies on preparing for a maybe-someday marriage. I want to get to know my King and be better equipped to grow His Kingdom with these right-now days of mine. I’m not promised tomorrow, let alone a spouse, but I am promised that when I seek the Lord with the entirety of my person, I will find Him. So I like to focus on that… Bible studies, books, blog posts, podcasts and conversations that stir my heart to love Him more deeply and grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ as I run the race set before me with endurance.
That said, I love the book Radical by David Platt, the Becoming a Woman series of Bible studies by Cynthia Heald – especially the Prayer study – and opening the pages of my Bible to see who God tells me He is. From the actual materials I’ve read relating to singleness and love, my favorite devotional has truthfully been Wholeheartedly because it is so balanced and full of truth! And if I were to choose a book, Passion and Purity by Elisabeth Elliot moved me greatly. Her journey of faith and love is beautifully told and inspiring!
SHE MAKES PLANS:
Do you have a bucket list? If, so what’s one thing you’d like to do?
I don’t officially have a bucket list, but I aspire to and dream about enough things that I could definitely make one if I wanted to! There are always little things I’d like to try – like kayaking – and business related goals – like launching a journal project I have on my heart. That’s on top of ministry related goals with Pursuit and all the places that seem to make it on my list of where to visit next. One of the highest on that portion of the mental list would be to explore Italy. I want to see Venice specifically!
SHE BUYS THE FINE CHINA:
What is something you like to splurge on for yourself?
Massages! Oh my goodness. I had my first massage almost a year ago and it’s being woven into my regular self-care routine now. It can seem like a splurge, but it’s so good for health and wellness that I find myself able to justify the expense more and more easily!
I also like lip color and have to reign myself in to not pick up a new color every time I’m in Target or Sephora!
SHE EQUIPS THOSE COMING BEHIND HER:
What encouragement do you have for those girls who are struggling and not yet thriving in their singleness?
Sweet girl, know that you are not missing anything that you’re meant to be holding in this season of your life. I know it doesn’t always feel that way, but it’s the truth. The Lord knows you. He knows the desires of your heart – the ones you’ve given bloom to and the ones He’s placed within you Himself. He knows your every thought before you think it and before you took your first breath, He had written out each and every one of your days. There is such an intentionality in that. He is intentional with you. You can trust Him – with today, with tomorrow, and with every day after. He cares for you so deeply – more than anyone else ever could – and you need to trust Him with your heart.
If I could encourage you to do one thing, it would be to create space in your life to step away from the noise of this world and get to know Jesus more deeply. Find a space you can rest with Him and make it a priority. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you in a fresh way. Ask what it is He desires you to do with the days you’re living right now. Ask Him what you need to surrender in order to live in freedom and contentment right where you are. He has so much for you, lovely! When you surrender your idea of what your life should look like and trust Him to lead you no matter what your life will look like, you’ll find greater freedom than you’ve ever known.
Read more: Psalm 139:1-18. Isaiah 26:3. 1 Peter 5:7. Psalm 16.
I had the pleasure of getting to meet Kristin in person at the Influence Conference and she is such a sweetheart! So glad to have her on the blog to share her wisdom and experiences!
Website : http://kristinungerecht.com + http://andsoweareblog.com
Instagram : @kktoday + @andsoweare