Start with what you have, don’t worry about what you don’t have.

Many people have big dreams and even bigger goals. We all want to accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. The problem with many is that they want to start with everything that is needed. Sometimes things don’t work that way. Sometimes we must start with what we have. As we walk with God, things are added to us. Over time, our knowledge increases. Our wisdom increases as well. As we get older, we should be getting better. As we get better, we attract more. I read a quote that said, “Instead of chasing butterflies, just build a garden.” If you work hard enough on the garden, the beauty of the garden will attract butterflies.

That is how success is. Success is not something we pursue; success is something we attract by the person we become. I learned that from the late Jim Rohn, and I have never forgotten it. People all over the world are chasing success and unfortunately never catch it. We must learn to work on ourselves. As we work on ourselves, we become more attractive and attract opportunities that will enrich our lives.

God knows all the details of our lives. The Bible tells us that “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” (Psalm 37:23) When you are assured of this, you don’t mind starting at the bottom of the corporate ladder. You are willing to start off small. Zechariah 4:10 (The Message) asks a very good question: “Does anyone dare despise the day of small beginnings?”

You learn a lot at the bottom. Starting at the bottom teaches you how to get to the top. My late pastor used to say, “The path to the prize is greater than the prize itself.” Oh, how he was right. The lessons learned on the road to success are so valuable. They are lessons that you can pass on to the next generation. They are lessons that will help you the next time you face a challenge in your life. God wants to take us from glory to glory, but it’s a process.

You don’t jump from the first grade to the sixth. You don’t go from elementary school to high school. You go from the first grade to the second. The second grade to the third. It is one grade at a time. You just keep going until, the next thing you know, you’re in middle school. You don’t stop there. You just keep going until finally you find yourself graduating from high school. It didn’t happen overnight, but as you kept going, you got smarter and you got better.

It is the same in every process. Don’t run from the process—grow from the process. Embrace the journey, one step at a time. God’s way is always the best way.