The Lay-Down-Your-Life kind of love

Last Friday I had an awesome opportunity to put on a tux and go to an event with my lovely bride and leave our four kiddo’s cared for at home. We had a great time, ate some great food, danced, and got to hang out with some good friends. But what I bring to you here today came from the speaker for the event who affectionately calls himself Julie’s brother.
Derrick Tennant is a motivational speaker who is paralyzed on his left side as a result of a serious accident when he was a youth. What he overcame personally is inspiring, but what pushed me over the edge was the love that he has for his sister. Julie Tennant (thelovechromosome.com) has Down syndrome. What is remarkable about Julie and Derrick is the love that is clearly present between brother and sister. To see a man, who has his own trials, intertwine his life with his sisters’ to support and walk with her makes me re-evaluate the kind of love that I have for others and the kind of love that I'm instilling in my kids lives.
How do we know if we have this kind of love for others? Can I ever know if any of my kids have this kind of love between them? Does it take something huge in your life to truly know if you have the "lay down your life" kind of love for someone?
Maybe we aren’t truly tested until something big happens, but we’ll never be ready for the “big” trials if we don’t lay ourselves down in little trials. If this is foreign concept to you, start small; clean when it isn’t your job. Let that jerk in the car merge in front of you when you know they are being selfish. Hold the door for the elderly person when you know it is going to make you that much later for your meeting. Small stuff like this will train us to be the lay-down-your-life people that we hope we will be when the trials are bigger.
Luke 16:10 says “The person who is trustworthy in very small matters is also trustworthy in great ones; and the person who is dishonest in very small matters is also dishonest in great ones” (NAB)

This may be a strange verse to apply here, but honestly I hope that I can be trustworthy in great trials. If I’m going to be faithful and trustworthy when the going gets tough, I’ve got to practice faithfulness and be trustworthy in the small things.
What small things can you do to be trustworthy, and train yourself to have the Lay-Down-Your-Life kind of love?