Why I Walk

This article is part of the Claritas fall 2023 issue, Stages. Read the full print release here.

By: Joaquin Rivera

I take a step

Someone stepped here before

Maybe hundreds, even thousands have

They trudged and trudged till death

And created nothing new under the sun

Their presence soon forgotten

Why bother stepping these steps

Walking this way

Living this life

All for everything I’ve done, 

Created, said, and loved 

To fade

Like the thousands before me

These steps bring danger

Rocky roads cause me to stumble

Mud and potholes make me sink

The dark of the night confuses my sight

So that I cannot see what lurks around me

Many paths present themselves

And I cannot know where they lead

But perhaps the unknown also brings excitement

Perhaps these steps can bring joy

The trees, the mountains, the rivers 

They please my eye and evoke wonder

With my hands I can create art, structures, and writing

To  imitate nature

I can choose to run, to walk, to stand still

I can take these steps in company

We can protect each other in the night

Pull one another up when we sink

And consider our paths together

But still these steps feel futile

Questions barrage me

Where am I walking to?

Why am I walking there?

Will I ever be satisfied there?

Why bother doing things that have been done?

Indeed, these steps were futile

Until a man, God in flesh, stepped with no fault

His ministry was walking

His steps were impossible, as He walked on water

His steps were Love, as He bore all sin

But His own, as He walked up a mountain

His feet were nailed, and He walked no more

As He died, His disciples ran with fear.

Then He arose, and they ran again

With joy, with Good News, to every city

To reach every tribe, tongue and nation

They ran the good race of Life

And taught others how to run it too

To run with a purpose

To run with discipline

With eyes set on an eternal goal

Those others taught others

Then those others taught me

That every step ought to glorify Him

My mentors and friends spent time with me

Smiled at me, ate with me, suffered with me

Because they loved me

Yes, every step I could take

Has been taken before

But my whole way, my race, 

The people, the experiences,

The hurts, the loves, the mundane

It is a unique story like no other

So, I take a step

Because the one who took that step before They had lessons  to share

They experienced the darkness 

They experienced joys to be found

They experienced fulfillment and peace 

By walking with Him

Now I stand upon their shoulders 

Now I bear the lessons

Of all that came since Creation

And I am to create my own path

One day I hope to teach others too

But first I look to keep learning

About the Way, the Truth, and the Life

With each step I take

This article appeared in Claritas’ fall 2023 Stages Issue