As a teenager, it was my job to mow the lawn. Though I enjoyed the task, it wasn’t easy with our old, cranky, hard-to-start and difficult-to-push lawnmower. Then one day it died, and my dad purchased a new, self-propelled lawnmower.

What a difference it made! Instead of pushing and grunting each step of the way, I practically sailed and ran to keep up with this powerful machine! Lawnmowing became a lot more fun after that.

Sometimes, life is like an old lawnmower.

It’s hard to wake up and start the day. And when we finally do get started, the struggle to make it through the day takes all our energy. There are children to care for, meals to make, errands to run, bills to pay, and by day’s end, we fall into an exhausted heap not sure how we will manage tomorrow.

The Apostle Paul was a man on a mission and, in his ministry, accomplished great things. In Colossians 1:29, he shares the secret to his ability to carry out the work God had entrusted him, “For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (ESV)

Paul acknowledges the labor and the struggle but notice whose energy he relies on: the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul is not expecting to accomplish his calling without the Holy Spirit working through him, in fact, he is relying on it! He knew from where his power and ability came.

God does not expect us to do the work He calls us to without providing the energy and resources. But when we take on more than He has given us, we run on our own strength and will eventually collapse.

The difference between a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit and a life lived on its own power is much like an old, cranky lawnmower versus a new, self-propelled lawnmower. One is a soul at rest; the other is a soul in stress.

Friend, if you are weary, ask yourself, “In whose strength am I laboring?” Learn to let go of the ‘things’ not meant for you and lean on the strength He provides for the tasks He has assigned you.

This devotional originally appeared in The Joyful Life Magazine.