It is easier to move through struggle and trial when you know there is an end on the horizon. Paul knows there is an upward call in his life. He knows that Christ has won a place for him in heaven, in the eternal kingdom. It is an upward call—not so much because it exists up in the clouds as that it lifts our heads. Jesus ascended; we will too. Forward into God’s eternal world-put-right. That gives me energy and motivation to push through my day and take joy.