Confession

My five year old has an idol!

In the mornings I have let Luk play on his DSi before doing his schoolwork. IF he does it without a hassle he gets to play again before nap. However, even with this I have noticed the attachment, and need to have it on him at all times. 

Insert crazy hobbit:

This morning he got the warning to not ignore his brother and me over the DS. I will say I expected failure, and I was right. Within five minutes he was telling me wait, and telling his brother he was too busy. In comes momma looking over him waiting to get his attention. After about a minute he looks up at me, then looks back down, then back up again saying, "but wait..."

Those have been his famous last words for the past week. I hold out my hand, and immediate tears and surrendering occurs. My speech went something like this:

I have been telling you that when you play your DS you ignore me, your dad, and your brother, this is unacceptable. Do you know what you have turned this DS into? (a low whimper) a stumbling block? 

Yes, but it has become an idol to you. 

He began to sob. 

I explained that such emotion over this has proven his attachment to it, and that it has become his devotion, his idol. He slowed his crying. I let him know that the DS was on lock down to only times that I give him to play instead of free time play. 

I left the room.

I come back. "Luk, what is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning?" Without hesitation in his normal tone, "my DS." We made eye contact, he knew. 

It was a sad, but accomplished morning. We can make idols out of anything: work, money, television, house work, and for a five year old a DS, a toy... Our devotion and attachment, our reliance on these things, it's so very dangerous. Remember to guard your children's heart, love them in truth. It hurt to tell my son no to his DS and what it had become, but in the end he must know that his idols must leave their pedestals. They must go into a lesser priority, and we must magnify the Son. He needs to see how easy it is to create them. 

Don't think that your children are too young to create an idol out of something. Don't let them think they are too young because when they do get a bit older they will wonder why it's an idol now, but it wasn't back when they had the same behavior before.  What is your devotion to?