But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬, ‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Of all human experiences, only one remains almost entirely unknown.

Despite hypotheses and relentless attempts at its description from every conceivable perspective, unhinged fantasy, limitless speculation and sordid detail, we still know nothing more beyond its cause except for the promise that we never will for as long as we live.

And then it will either be the nothing or the everything we ever dreamed of.

Paul had a goal.

His desire from prison was to die in order to gain the experience of being resurrected because his faith tells him it is, indeed, everything ever dreamed of.

To live is Christ. To die is gain.

As noble the thought may be, he also knows the world’s people won’t be saved by a bunch of dead Christians (contrary to popular belief of some.)

The more noble act is to remain here in faith and action, not to hasten our own demise just to experience the promise of the resurrection moment.

Paul was selfless to a fault, persevering in faith and action until one day in Rome when it caused his beheading and he finally gained the resurrection moment of which he had dreamed.

Of all human experiences only one remains entirely unknown except that it is a promised gift for keeping the faith and a job well done.