God continues creating us

Frequently, some human beings like me, who believe in God, wonder about the divine creation: God created us, created this universe, and all this, or at least everything in this planet, with a purpose. When we complete our cycle, we will go to heaven, where we will be with Him. But, if heaven exists, or a dimension or place after death exists, what is the precise function of our stay on Earth? Why are we here?

I had two explanations for these questions. The first was that God gave us this human existence to allow us to experience and compare the finitude and limitations of earthly life with the infinity, fullness, and eternity of heaven. But the concept that God was lecturing me and giving us something less good, only to later give us the “best,” always conflicted me.

The second explanation was that God gave us earthly life as preparation for death and to understand what comes after death. I still believe in this explanation, but with a fundamentally different twist. One that I had the blessing to experience in the following way.

On February 16, the day of my 41st birthday surrounded by very dear people, I had a near death experience. I had an accident in which I died for approximately 3 minutes, according to those who were with me at that moment.

Thank God, and I don't believe this was a coincidence, I was with my wife, two of my best friends, one of them a doctor, and their wives. At the moment of my accident, my doctor friend reacted in an instant, giving instructions to everyone. It was an immediate collective and coordinated response. While one called for an ambulance, another tried to lift me, and the others scrambled to make space while the doctor tried to revive me, or prevent me from dying. It's not a coincidence that they were there, it's not a coincidence that one was a doctor, that between them they could lift me, and that everyone reacted and could follow instructions without freezing. Nor is it a coincidence that when things were solely in the doctor's hands, my wife, who had been agnostic for at least 10 years, started to pray. In an instant, her faith returned.

My experience, in these three earthly minutes, was much longer than theirs. I lived what I believe is the transition in which our body detaches from our spirit, and from the physical laws of this universe. I saw the cave, then I saw or felt the light and, in my case, I didn't see life flashing before my eyes; I was one, in fusion and unity with all the experiences of my life and with all the people I love. There was no time, there were no images, there was no before or after. It wasn't Bernardo at 41 years old, nor 70, or at 3.

Yesterday, exactly 6 days before the 2-year anniversary of this accident and of my birthday, while writing a letter to my dad, I came to a realization. God created the universe, everything from the planets and cosmic elements, to the mountains, flowers, cells, and atoms of our world. He also created man and Jesus in the image and likeness of man. But His creation is not limited to a time-bound act. He didn't create us at conception and didn't create the universe in the Big Bang. God continues creating us permanently, and both the universe and we are in constant creation.

Jesus came to Earth so that through His example we can continue creating ourselves with the grace and will of God. Free will is not just the ability to make decisions; it is the ability to define how we continue to be created. The greatest gift God gave us is infinite eternal life in creation.

This universe is governed by the metric of time. Since the Big Bang, which has a before and an after, time can be measured with certain precision. Time, therefore, is the fundamental metric that structures material reality.

But time did not exist in the dimension where I was, and that is probably why I still can't find words to describe my experience. I am sure, however, that the one who was in that dimension or in that “place” was me. It wasn't someone else nor was it someone different. Despite this complete atemporality, my personal identity remained intact. I continued to be me and although this seems obvious, it changed my life forever.

For us to continue being “me”, or for me to be “me” at this moment, it is necessary to integrate what has been lived and loved in this world. The experiences, the loved people, the built relationships, all form an integral part of the being. They are as much a part of us as our hands, our heart, or our intellect. I am also sure that, just how our loved ones are part of us, we are part of them, in eternity, which is not time bound, it is past, present, and future. These earthly experiences, occurring in a brief temporal period, are constitutive of the permanent identity.

In the universe and the earthly world, in which I am writing, the main metric is time. In the other dimension closer to Heaven, the main and defining metric is love. Love is what structures and organizes reality beyond time. It is eternal, relational, and integrative without the chronological limitations of the universe.

This distinction clarifies and confirms the purpose of my passage through Earth. And I have to remind myself constantly, because my earthly weaknesses and temptations make me lose my way and forget my purpose. Material things only serve if they generate fullness, peace, and harmony in us. The natural environment, the mountains, rivers, and seas, teaches us to be humble and teaches us to be poor in spirit. My material possessions in that other dimension were nonexistent, completely insignificant.

The purpose of my temporary earthly existence is to use time to build authentic love relationships and experiences that help us love. Love more and love better, to use time to create ourselves following Jesus' example. This is and will continue to be the basis of our being in the eternal dimension.