Fahrenheit 451… Mildred Montag spends all day tuned into her television, which is more real to her than the actual events of her life.

Ray Bradbury's novel stresses the value of books, but Mildred serves as a warning about how we spend our time. Squandering hers on television, she loses her ability to care about her husband, her friends or even whether she lives or dies.

What if television today was more vivid and lifelike? What if it was possible to forget you were watching a screen? Imagine the time you could consume in front of the tube or monitor!

This could happen sooner than you might think. Panasonic is developing new technology for 3-D televisions. Yes, the new system includes special glasses, but the company claims the quality will take 3-D to the next level. It's possible that some could mistake what they watch for reality—and certainly waste lots of time.

Value of time

Have you noticed how quickly a semester of college passes? How infrequently you meet with distant friends? How hard it is to find time to personally recharge? Distractions on the Internet or television can easily consume our "extra" time, leaving us in a cycle of not having enough time.

What is the value of time? Like currency, perhaps the best measure is in how it is spent. What kind of benefit are you receiving from how you spend your time?

Time really is a treasure, a gift given at the beginning of our lives, a wealth to use however we'd like. Some activities have more lasting benefits than others.

Our priorities say a lot about who we are as persons. We tend to make time for those people and things we value.

Relationship time

Relationships of any kind take work, but when a particular person is a priority, the time we spend on him or her doesn't seem like a burden—instead, it brings rewards. Good relationships are actually one of the most valuable ways to spend time.

Humans are socially wired for working together, reading body language cues and responding wonderfully to positive attention from each other. Video games, chat rooms and movies, though they are enjoyable and may have a place in our lives, cannot replace in-person relationships and time spent together.

Take the ultimate human relationship of marriage, for example. It's proven to make one happier and live longer. That relationship takes a serious sizable investment of well-spent time.

What about developing a strong relationship with God? Time spent with Him through prayer and reading the Bible produces powerful dividends of understanding, peace of mind and a more abundant life.

One day a week, God requests our time and attention to take a rest and focus on Him. This allows us to have energy and motivation to build our other healthy relationships and use our time wisely throughout the week. Check out "Rest From Stress" to learn more about the value of God's time.

Treasure

Enthralled by electronic fiction, poor Mildred Montag became unable to appreciate reality and truth.

Enjoying today's technology can be wonderful—as long as tangible relationships are not neglected by too little investment of time.

The amazing power to create an almost real world on 3-D television is likely worth seeing. Just don't sacrifice your relationships for it. Spend lots of time with your family, friends and Heavenly Father. Treasure your time with them. VT