michael, in addition to the many thoughtful posts above, if I may add a somewhat enigmatic feeling of my own:
You define God in your own heart, as It intended you to do. Finding the peace within yourself to recognize that your life is just exactly what it must be at this moment, and yet still to struggle with this moment, towards the next moment, growing and learning...that's the essence of our being, the dynamic of life.
Sometimes I visualize the Prime Cause (my preferred term) as sitting there in It's other dimension, laughing to Itself and saying: "Jesus Christ, why do these creatures of mine torture themselves so? Don't they realize that this will all work itself out?"
I'm not by any means intending to be insensitive to the daily sufferings of virtually every human on this planet...a quandry that still challenges me, and for which I don't pretend to have an adequate answer, except for what I've just said.
It isn't the answer that matters; it's the quest for the answer.
Craig