Jesus told people to ‘follow me,’ but what does that mean?

“If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Often, the things Jesus said were thought provoking and challenging, but sometimes seemingly impossible to abide by. In a society driven by self-ambition, status, and financial success, following Jesus can also feel like it contradicts all that makes us human. Because of this, many view Christians as vain or extreme at best, and hypocritical or self-righteous at worst. While many of the stereotypes surrounding Christians are true, what about the Christians that break those negative molds? And, what if the things Jesus taught were not only possible to achieve, but a far more noble cause than the world has ever known?