Retirement is portrayed by our culture as the end of our productive years and the beginning of days of leisurely consumption. You’ve earned it. Relax, travel, rest. I get it. Many of us do need to relax, travel, and rest when we retire, at least initially, and we should take the time necessary to prepare ourselves for the next stage of life. But our productivity is anything but over.

Webster’s dictionary defines production as something produced, a product or an artistic or creative work. That’s a fairly broad definition, but it’s accurate. Production is far more extensive than creating widgets in a factory. Each of us produces a home, a unique set of skills, relationships, and all kinds of creative work. And, yes, we produce items and products in the marketplace for consumption.

Think about everything you have produced throughout your life.

As a baby, I produced poopy diapers and sleepless nights, and as a toddler I graduated to drawings of houses on sunny streets and macaroni necklaces. As a teenager, I produced homework, term papers, home-stitched clothing, piano recitals, important relationships, and I began to produce some of my own ideas.

In my adult years, my production went way up. I worked to produce programs, specifications and distribution systems for businesses. My husband and I produced three children who have married and produced six grandchildren and counting. I’ve prepared many, many, meals, and we continued to develop enduring relationships. I’ve produced talks, blog posts, articles and newsletters like this one, which have, I trust, produced new thoughts in listeners and readers. I have hopefully produced love through it all.

It’s difficult to separate what I have produced and what has been produced in me. In fact, not one item on that list can be attributed solely to me. (I probably produced poopy pants all by myself.) For example, what I write, while sitting alone at my desk, is a product of a lifetime of influence, teaching, learning, stops and starts, and support.

Dan and I asked an Uber driver how he got started transporting riders to where they need to go. He said he retired years ago, was bored out of his mind, and his daughter recommended he look into Uber. He told us he is happy to be producing again as he dropped us off at the airport.

As we waited near our gate, we noticed a woman who looked to be in her eighties serving snacks and beverages at a kiosk. She complemented people walking by, assisted those looking for their flights, and graciously rang up sales at the kiosk. She seemed to enjoy talking to anyone and everyone. Her productive years are clearly not behind her.

Like the Uber driver and airport attendant, I will produce as long as I’m able. Now, what have you consumed?

Over the last month, I’ve traveled, shopped, eaten at excellent restaurants by the seaside, read books, watched television, read newspapers and articles on a variety of subjects. Food, entertainment, and clothes are just a few of the items that I consume on a regular basis.

We live in a consumer driven economy. Advertisers have become adept at convincing us that we need to spend more to take fabulous vacations, stay current with fashion trends, and drive cool cars.

We are so immersed in a culture of consumption that we are said to be living in a consumer society, a society in which a large part of people’s sense of identity and meaning is achieved through the purchase and use of consumer goods and services.

Consumerism is a relatively recent development. It began in the 1920s and took off after WWII. As consumer products became available and advertising became increasingly prevalent, we decided we enjoyed consuming and began attempts to keep up with the Joneses.

“The cardinal features of this culture were acquisition and consumption as the means of achieving happiness; the cult of the new; the democratization of desire; and money value as the predominant measure of all value in society,” Leach writes in his 1993 book, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture. Significantly, it was individual desire that was democratized, rather than wealth or political and economic power.

Unfortunately, as the above quote suggests, desires too often take precedence over income.

In mid-2017, total outstanding revolving debt in the United States was about $960 billion, equivalent to more than $7,600 per household. However, given that about half of households do not carry an unpaid monthly balance on their credit cards, those households that do carry a balance had an average credit card debt of around $15,000.

In retirement, consumption is highlighted and justified. We’re told that our consumption gives people work, and therefore is healthy for the economy, for workers, and for us. This makes sense. Also, I believe that God smiles when we enjoy what he’s given us, what we’ve worked to achieve, and when we travel and marvel at his creativity. He is a generous and gracious God, for which I’m forever grateful.

But – you knew there was a but coming, didn’t you – we are still meant to produce. Consumption will never satisfy our deepest desires, for God gave us the desire to work, to produce, to serve others, ultimately to share God’s glory. Perhaps the urge to consume is masking deep desires to contribute.

I desire to have purpose, to have a meaningful reason to get up every morning, to understand, explore, and communicate, to love my family and friends and everyone I run into, and to do it all to the glory of God. I might desire stuff, everyone does, but I have learned that possessions will only bring me temporary pleasure, not lasting contentment.

Think about it. What are you producing? How much are you consuming? What do you desire?

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4).

Editor’s note: This article has been republished from the author’s blog with permission.