It all started innocently. A simple email from a friend popped up on my phone when I was riding Ernie yesterday. The subject line said: “Thought of you.” How sweet.

Opening the email, I discovered my realtor friend had sent an MLS listing of a hobby farm for sale not too far from my barn. She knows I dream of having a hobby farm some day and every so often she sends me listings she thinks may be worth a look. Instantly my dream came screaming to the forefront of my mind again. It happens about once a year.

My imagination went to work. “If this hobby farm is in foreclosure, I could get a good deal. If there’s one hobby farm in foreclosure, there must be others.” Well, at my first quiet moment (10:30 p.m.), I started searching listings. I looked at all the pretty pictures. I started assessing which had existing pastures or had the best potential for pastures. By midnight, I had printed out information on about six hobby farms and reviewed the listings of several others. I even shot an email off to my friend asking her to check into one of them for me. I started making a mental list of work to be done on my house if I were to sell it.

WHOA! is all I can think this morning. It doesn’t take much to get carried away, does it?

There is nothing wrong with dreaming, I rationalize. In some cases though, there is. You see, dreaming of (coveting) material possessions — an ipod (another burning desire of mine), a new trailer, a faster horse, a bigger house — or even the immaterial — a more attentitive spouse, a better job, a smaller body size — fosters discontent in our lives. Desiring these things causes us to focus on what is wrong with our lives rather than what is great about our lives. We fall into a pattern of comparing ourselves, our lives and our material possessions to others. It may cause us to question God’s ability to provide, or worse, his love for us.

I can go another day without an ipod (sorry, Apple) and so many other things. I have more than enough stuff to occupy my mind and my time. As for the hobby farm, that’s in God’s hands. Through prayer, he will reveal to me when the time is right. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts — if they’re what’s best for us. Maybe this is the year for that dream. Until he shows me that it is, I am perfectly content with my house. It’s the right size for me. It’s warm and comfortable. And, I don’t have to worry about doing horse chores twice a day through winter for at least one more year. I’m thankful for my house and so many other things that make up my life of simple abundance.

Luke 12:15: “Then he said, ‘Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.’” (NLT)

1 Timothy 6:6-8: “Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” (NLT)

Ecc. 6:9: “Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.” (NLT)