The True Meaning of Contentment

When theologian John Wesley attended Oxford University at age twenty-one, he was a privileged young man, with wealth, intelligence, looks. One night, he met a porter without a bed, a proper coat, or more than a couple pennies to his name. Finding the porter in surprisingly good spirits despite his condition, Wesley sarcastically said, “You thank God when you have nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon. What else do you thank Him for?” The porter smiled and humbly replied, “I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, and a heart to love Him, and a desire to serve Him.” The porter moved Wesley that night, helping him realize the true meaning of contentment and that provision came from the Lord and not his circumstances (John Telford, The Life of John Wesley [New York: Hunt & Eaton; repr., Wesleyan Heritage Publications, 1998], 47, http://media.sabda.org/alkitab-6/wh3-ref/jt-tlow.pdf).