God is confusing and difficult to understand. Often we find ourselves very frustrated. How mad we get at God depends on what we expect of God. The more we expect the more angry we are when God doesn’t behave like we think God should act.

Underneath anger is usually hurt or fear. I hear people express anger at God several times a week in my professional work as a therapist but I have never yet heard someone say, “God hurt my feelings” or “I’m afraid of God and how God operates.” At least those are not the first sentiments expressed. The closest we come is to think God is sadistic or that there is no God at all since I don’t like the version of God that I think is operating the world.

God is, at the very least, confusing. It’s difficult to stay with the feeling of confusion. We tend to move into judgement then anger when things don’t make sense to us. But maybe staying for awhile with the confusion and frustration can lead us to deeper places within ourselves and even to a deeper spiritual life.

In GK Chesterton’s novel, The Man who was Thursday, which was published in 1908, the author beautifully depicts this struggle and the strong relationship that can unfold as a result. The character Sunday engages in puzzling and frustrating behavior as he leads his followers on what seems like a wild goose chase. As he is the leader and a type of God character, even the frustration the other characters feel and the time spent trying to make sense of Sunday’s behavior bind them more closely to him.

Mr. Sunday, like God defies every attempt to neatly categorize him. Because of this, his followers must think in totally new ways, which opens the way for a more meaningful and complex relationship. God is good and gives us good things much of the time. But if that is all we want God for He is not much more than a Divine vending machine. God frustrates us, puzzles us, and allows us to suffer to push us beyond the parent giver/infant receiver relationship into a deeper, more life giving relationship between God and human.