If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own]… – Luke 14:26, Amplified Bible

What does it take to become great at anything in life? Practice and focus. When we read the stories of champion athletes, outstanding musicians, and successful businesspeople, we detect a pattern of work that is shared across professions, passions, and pastimes. People who are great at what they do have committed blood, sweat, toil, tears, and time to practice, hone, and master what it is that they do so well. As a by-product of their singular dedication, they have had to limit their attention to other people and things that they care about. It is not that they hate these other people or things. It is just that they love their passions so much that, in comparison, these other people and things seem insignificant.

In Luke 14:26 (AMP), Jesus makes the following statement:

If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters—[yes] and even his own life also—he cannot be My disciple.

At first glance, Jesus’ words seem harsh. Hate my family? Hate myself? How horrible! But, in reality, Jesus is not asking us to hate either family or self. He is asking us to pursue Him with such practice and focus that, in comparison, other people (including ourselves) and things in our lives appear insignificant. Just like successful people have sacrificed other things in their lives to pursue what it is they are great at, Christ’s disciples must sacrifice other things in their lives to pursue Him and His glory.

In reality, there aren’t many people that are exceptional at anything. This is because few people are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to become truly exceptional at something. Likewise, there aren’t that many Christians whom Christ would classify as His disciples. He has many saved children, but few people are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to truly become His disciple.

If Christ were looking into your eyes right now, what would He see? A Christian? Or, an exceptional Christian? His child? Or, His dedicated disciple? Is He your practice and focus, or is someone or something else?