Kiss A Frog, Miss The Prince
Today, we're welcoming Natasha Sapienza, author of Kiss A Frog, Miss The Prince. In Kiss A Frog, Natasha discusses four types of “frogs” women get into relationships with before introducing them to the Perfect Prince and the Rescued Frog. With funny anecdotes and great advice, women discover how to discern frogs from true princes, and are encouraged to wait on God to write their real-life fairy tale.
Natasha was gracious enough to sit down and share with us a little bit of her life story and the inspiration that brought this book to life (and maybe give you a copy for free at the very end!). Enjoy!
Name: Natasha Sapienza Age: 25 Location: South Florida Blog: BetterThanPrinceCharming.com
What are some of your favorite verses from the Bible?
There's so many good ones, but when I first surrendered my whole heart to Jesus in 2009, He answered me through Psalm 20. That entire Psalm definitely has my favorite verses in Scripture because God gave me those precious promises and has/is totally fulfilling each of them. I also love the book of Romans, particularly Romans 8:37, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us," and 8:28, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."
How did you come to know Jesus personally?
My uncle invited my family to our first Baptist service where we heard the gospel for the first time, and we all prayed to receive Christ as Lord, but it wasn't until after I graduated from high school that I began to know Christ intimately and follow Him. In utter brokenness, I cried out to Him and opened my rather unused bible to anything and I read Psalm 20. The very first verse reads:
"May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble."
It said twice more in that psalm, "God will answer you." I dove into the New Testament and prayer the following day and began experiencing Christ in amazing ways. I haven't looked back since.
What does a set-apart young woman look like to you?
A girl who glows with the joy of Christ, is passionate for Him, and loves Him practically, meaning, she obeys Him. There is this pure devotion of, "Father, whatever You say, I will do," and that sincerity is manifested in her day-to-day walk.
What is something God is currently teaching you?
Graciousness! Christ has both the boldness and strength of a lion, but also the gentleness and humility of a lamb. I tend to err on the lion side so He's teaching me through the graciousness of other godly sisters how to walk in a gentle, quiet spirit, that is beautiful in His sight while yet being bold.
When did you become content with being single?
I was nineteen-years-old. February 21st, 2009 I had made a decision to let go of my ex because I knew God did not intend for us to be together. In fact, my ex was a very real obstacle in my relationship with Christ. After I surrendered that relationship, Jesus began to heal my heart and in literally six days, I was no longer crying, but was filled with joy and finally content in my singleness.
How old were you when you met your “dream prince” as you call him?
It was actually quite soon after giving up my ex. I had prayed for a prophet to be placed in my path so I can receive a clear word from the Lord, because although I had been healed of a broken heart, I was still getting “signs” that were confusing me. “Maybe I am meant to be with my ex, just not right now. Or maybe I’m supposed to be with my other ex.” After only a week— if that — of praying for a prophet to be placed in my path, I was randomly invited to a church service that would be held at a college in Miami. I went, and the last person to be introduced by the pastor was, “Ricardo Strachan, a mighty prophet of the Lord!” I approached the prophet after the service and at once he said, “The Spirit of the Lord told me Satan has been confusing you in the area of relationships, but God said He’s going to make things clear for you very soon — very soon.” I met Jonathan, the man who is now my husband, on March 4th, 2009, not even two weeks after saying goodbye to my ex. And it was very clear.
Wow! That is truly a God-written love story! How exactly did you and Jonathan meet?
My older sister started telling me about this guy from her theatre program in college who she believed God wanted me to meet. I was content in my singleness and not looking to be in a relationship, but I invited him to come with his brother to where I attended service, and I invited my sister. Neither of them came, but Jonathan did so our first official meeting was at the building I went to service at — and the building we’d eventually walk down the aisle in.
We were boyfriend and girlfriend for a little over a year when Jonathan proposed. Knowing that God had called us to get married and not wanting to play with fire, we kept our engagement short (four months), so by a year and six months we said, “I do.”
In Kiss A Frog, Miss the Prince, you talk about four types of "frogs" we ladies can get into relationships with. Have you been with all four of those kinds of "frogs"?
With my track record, yes, unfortunately I have been with the Infatuated Frog, Rebel Frog, Controlling Frog, and the Deceitful Frog — several times. I had this crazy notion that I was some sort of super woman who could save bad boys so I always ended up in relationships with guys who had serious issues.
Which type of "frog" do you think is the worst?
They’re all quite slimy. The Controlling Frog can end up becoming abusive, and that’s certainly a horrible situation to find yourself in. They all use manipulation in some form, but the Deceitful Frog can be very emotionally damaging, causing trust issues that interfere with a woman’s ability to trust her future spouse. In my personal experience, the last frog was the worst. He was mostly an Infatuated Frog and a Rebel Frog, but I found that the heart break was worst with him because of how much I had let him in emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Not to say Christian men are absolutely perfect, but when a man is not following Christ, whether knowingly or unknowingly, he’s following Satan. Satan is all about serving self, whereas Christ is all about serving others. When you are in a relationship with a frog, no matter how good he makes you feel, he’s seeking to get his desires met, and this always leads to pain and heart ache. So opening your heart up to any frog in general is a path to brokenness and eventual destruction.
Why do you think women date "frogs"?
Insecurity is a big reason, but the root is always a disconnect from Christ. When you do not know Love Himself intimately, you search for Him in other places. We are looking for closeness and affirmation, identity and purpose, and all of those precious treasures are hidden in Christ. Thus, they can only be experienced by those who are abiding in Him. Abiding as in choosing to pick up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him daily.
Is the man dressed as a prince on the cover your husband?
How did you know?
What are three things on your life bucket list?
- I want to have at least four children who all grow to be mighty vessels for Christ
- I'd like to open a Christian acting school someday with my hubby where we not only train Christians to be excellent actors, but disciples for Christ who use their gifts to glorify Him
- I'm currently polishing a YA fantasy novel and I would love for it to get published and reach many young readers, being used by God to encourage and edify believers, and to save those who aren't yet.