f a masked intruder stepped into your home, pointed a 357 Magnum at your face and demanded that you give him 13 ½ years of your life, you’d probably stick your hands in the air – and try to figure out what, exactly, he meant. After all, nobody breaks into a house to steal someone’s time, right?

While your hands may not be up in the air in surrender, the fact is many people throughout America yield a healthy portion of their lives to a thief right in their own living room every day. Citizens of every age and socioeconomic status succumb to similar robberies, willingly. It’s an ongoing theft epidemic, and it is quite possible you’ve been double-crossed.

In homes nationwide, 42” flat-screened behemoths monopolize the time and minds of families, leaving conversations unspoken, baseball gear collecting dust in the garage, and neighborly chats fallen to the curb. That’s right – the thief in your living room is your TV.

Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy relaxing on the sofa with popcorn and a good movie as much as anyone. In fact, my family regularly views “American Idol” and I wouldn’t want to miss a single show. Many of us work hard and play hard; then we just want some down time. The real problem isn’t watching TV; it’s watching too much TV.

And who can blame us? The high-definition menu before us is tempting. We can watch people lose weight, find their way or find the answer. We can observe tribes in the depths of Africa, a boat tour of the Amazon River or see a sunrise from space. We can watch people give questions to answers, choose a vowel or win a million dollars.

Yet this alluring media-call has its price. We somehow morphed from a nation of citizens who once sat out on the front porch at twilight and knew the names of all their neighbors, to people who now remain in a semi-comatose state in front of the tube all evening long, demanding to be entertained.

Are we addicted to entertainment? In a culture that prizes celebrity, reality shows and live police pursuits, TV is the craving du jour. If you don’t agree, then try unplugging your set and listen to the cries in your home. Addicts can only last so long without another “fix” – how about you?

We have a small placard that rests near our TV, which reads” “If the Lord were here beside me, would I watch this program?” Here’s a wake-up call: the Lord is here beside us. He’s given us this precious and limited commodity called time. And while he always grants freedom of choice, do our choices reflect what matters most?

God called us to be good stewards of our time. I challenge you to go against the flow. Turn off your TV. Put some board games on the coffee table. Tell jokes to your kids. Walk the dog. Read a book. Go chat with your neighbors. Say no to the thief, and reclaim your life.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2003), the average American spends 1,745 hours each year watching television, which is about 145 hours a month. This works out to more than six days each month – close to 14 years of our lives spent in front of the TV.

Editor's note: This article is an op-ed and, therefore, reflects the opinions of the writer.