The first time I saw that, it was carved into a side altar in a poor church.
With peeling paint and threadbare carpet. It was a place that hadn’t seen much love in a long time.
A closer look showed that there was something different about that little wooden altar.
It shone like someone had just cleaned it. There was a faint smell of furniture polish. On it, a simple glass jar. With water in it. And a handful of flowers that looked like they’d been picked out of someone’s yard.
The perfect symbol – it turns out – for a saint like Joseph.
Joseph had plans for himself and Mary. Plans for a life together. Then Mary turned up pregnant. And not by Joseph.
Joseph had every right to be mad. Everything he had hoped for was ruined.
No one could blame him for running away from all of it. No one could blame him for wishing that God would fix… everything. That’s what any of us would pray for.
But God didn’t make it all go away when Joseph prayed.
God gave Joseph something else. Strength. Courage. Determination. Faith.
Everything Joseph needed. To be the center. To shine right where he was.
Right where he was needed the most.
Today, there are people who need you.
They’re why God is calling you to stay, to shine right where you are.
If you let Him, God will give you everything you need. Strength. Courage. Determination. Faith.
But don’t think He expects you to do it alone.
God has already lined up exactly who you need to help you do it.
2 Peter 1:4 (NIV) -
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.
Synopsis: A Sam Wilson drabble. Inspired by the song Everything We Need by A Day to Remember. Sam gives me ride or die vibes, the kind of man who has your back when things are great or if they’re going to shit. Been struggling a lot with work, so needed to write it out. Song lyrics in italics
Pairings: Sam Wilson x Reader
Warnings: swear words
Word count: 800
Y/n had reached her limit with work. When she went to the office, she had some expectations of how things would be, but the reality was so much worse. Even though there were benefits to the unit she was in, the lack of mental stimulation and the aggravation of coworkers that couldn’t do their share of the work made it hard to get up in the mornings. Sam knew Y/n was struggling. He saw her play on her phone, putting off getting up every morning. He saw her unable to fall asleep at night because she hated the idea of having to go to the office the next day. The breaking point was when a coworker in another unit was too lazy to do her own job, so she reached out to Y/n to do her job instead.
On Friday, Y/n walked through the door and threw her bag onto the bench in the entryway of her and Sam’s home.
“Fucking lazy ass humans. I’m fucking done!” Y/n screamed out.
Sam, who was in the kitchen cooking dinner, stuck his head out. “Bad day?”
“I’m fucking over it, Sam. People can’t be bothered to do their own work, so it get passed off onto me. I’ve worked so hard and I get no recognition. I just get everyone else’s bullshit work. It’s like nothing I do matters and I’ll never get out of that unit.” Y/n plopped down onto the couch and dropped her head in her hands. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes.
Sam made his way over to the couch and sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Of course it matters. The hard times don’t last. Trust me, I know.”
Y/n looked at him tearfully. “How did you deal with the assholes that didn’t want to see you as Captain America? I mean, we started dating after all that went down and we haven’t really talked about it.”
“I had good friends with me, who supported me. And I knew Steve was confident in his decision to pass it on to me. That definitely helped.” Sam started rubbing circles on Y/n’s back. The warmth from his hand felt soothing on her back.
“If it’s any consolation, I always thought you were a great choice. And I know work won’t always be bad, but it’s been bad for so long I can’t remember when it was good.”
“I know, Baby Girl.”
Y/n turned and hugged Sam. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”
“You can always quit.”
Y/n shook her head and sighed. “Student loans. Can’t quit. I’m so close to loan forgiveness, I can’t give up. It’s just a few more years, unless the president does something nice and student loans go away before then. I’m just frustrated.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Just be you. And go on a drive with me tomorrow?”
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know. I just want to get out of here and drive somewhere.” Y/n looked at Sam, pleading.
“Okay, Baby Girl. I’m in.” Sam tapped Y/n’s thigh and stood up. “Let’s go eat dinner. We got a big day tomorrow.”
Y/n stood up and threw her arms around Sam’s neck. “Thank you,” she breathed out.
The two walked hand in hand to the kitchen to have dinner.
The next morning, Y/n and Sam got into Y/n’s car. Y/n looked over at Sam and bit her lip, trying to contain her excitement.
“So, I’m just heading north. Figured we could drive for a few hours and see where it takes us.”
Sam leaned over and kissed Y/n. “I go wherever you go, Baby Girl.”
Y/n put the car in gear and took off towards the highway. She wanted to just take off, not wanting to have to slow down in little towns. As they reached the highway, Y/n turned up the radio, wanting to jam out. The chorus of the song was just starting.
I’m doin buck 20 on I-75, 75, 75
Just to see if I’m dead or alive, dead or alive, dead or alive
Cause I know I got you
And you know you got me
We got everything we need
We got everything we need
I know I got you
And you know you got me
We got everything we need
Y/n felt the weight of her stress start to fade away. She quickly glanced at Sam while she sang along. As the song came to an end, Y/n couldn’t contain her smile.
“Thank you for being there for me, Sam.” Y/n reached over and took Sam’s hand in hers.
“You always got me, Y/n.” Sam squeezed Y/n’s hand.
