Freedom from Want: Weekly Devotion for December 1

Anyone above a certain age is familiar with the work of Norman Rockwell. He was a beloved American illustrator and storyteller who had a remarkable gift for capturing everyday life in a single image. His covers for The Saturday Evening Post helped define an era, filled with gentle humor and scenes that stirred nostalgia. One of his most famous works is this painting, Freedom from Want. Over time, it has become one of the most iconic images associated with Thanksgiving and family gatherings.

Freedom from Want is actually the third in Rockwell’s series of Four Freedoms paintings, inspired by President Franklin Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address. The other three—Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear—lifted up the core freedoms Roosevelt believed were worth defending. The series was wildly popular, touring the country and raising more than $130 million for the war effort through the sale of war bonds.

And while Rockwell’s image is beautiful, most of us know that our own family tables don’t always look quite so serene. I remember after my divorce, and through the seven years I spent as a single mom, I was certain that everyone else’s marriages and family gatherings were as perfect as this painting. I felt ashamed that mine wasn’t.

But of course, that wasn’t true. Every family has its own struggles, even the ones that look picture-perfect from the outside. So if you ever find yourself thinking you’re the only one whose life isn’t as it “should” be, know this: you’re not alone. No one is perfect. No family is perfect. Rockwell’s painting makes a beautiful ideal, but it isn’t reality.

The people in Rockwell’s painting weren’t gathered around a perfect Thanksgiving table—at least, not all at once. They were friends, family, and neighbors from Rockwell’s community in Arlington, Vermont, each photographed separately in his studio and then painted into the scene. The truth is, this beautifully harmonious moment never actually happened. It’s a good reminder that things aren’t always as they appear. Don’t measure yourself against a standard that was never real to begin with. 

And at this time of year, it is good to be reminded that it is hard to be both grumpy and grateful at the same time. God gently nudges us toward gratitude, because gratitude makes room for joy.

“Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever!”—Psalm 106:7

Featured art: Norman Rockwell, Freedom from Want, published on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post, March 6, 1943.