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\n\nAt Thanksgiving, we usually talk about why we\u2019re grateful and think about the blessings and joys of the past year. Thistles aren\u2019t<\/em> a typical Thanksgiving topic! So why discuss thistles now?<\/p>\n Like trauma, thistles are unwelcome intruders, weeds so tenacious it can take repeated growing seasons to eradicate. That\u2019s why I was surprised to see thistles adorning gifts in shops throughout Edinburgh, Scotland. Why would anyone want a mug or jewelry depicting a noxious weed? And why did Scotland choose this prickly plant as its national emblem? An Edinburgh tour guide helped me understand. During an attempted invasion of Scotland, Vikings removed their shoes, planning a nighttime surprise attack. After climbing a cliff beyond the beach, they stormed into a field of thistles, the secret raid foiled by their screams of pain.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the take-away from this thistle epistle? It\u2019s simply this: although we can\u2019t remove the pain trauma delivers, we can learn to survive and thrive. After repeated attempts to eradicate a field of thistles, Scottish landowners had to have been astonished when those thistles prevented their own \u201ceradication\u201d by Viking raiders. Unlike the prickly Vikings, we can choose to steadily move forward, no longer defined by suffering.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re suffering this Thanksgiving, ask God to help you see beyond your pain. From prison, Paul wrote, \u201c\u2026in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God<\/em>.\u201d He didn\u2019t write \u201cfor<\/em> everything,\u201d but in <\/em>it. Suffering doesn\u2019t usually make sense, but it does make sense to choose gratitude as our attitude when we read: And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus<\/em> (Philippians 4:6b-7, ESV).<\/p>\n When God promises He causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose<\/em> (Romans 8:28), He\u2019s not saying all things are somehow \u201cgood,\u201d but that He can cause even painful, difficult things to work together for<\/em> our good. He loves you!<\/p>\n