Sometimes I play a game inside my mind that I call, “Would you rather?”

When I hear about a situation that someone is going through, I ask myself, “Would I rather this happen or that happen?” This helps me clarify my values and assess what I am doing in my present situation.

For example, would I rather serve the Lord every day for the next twenty years, or would I rather have six months to leave a powerful testimony through a difficult situation? Possibly, I might think, would I rather give away a large sum of money to change someone’s life one time or give away a little money to a lot of people over a lifetime? One last one: would I rather have one extra close friend or have five people who I am relatively close to as a friend?

It is a silly little game, but it helps remind me that life is rarely made up of big moments and events; it is about the daily actions over a lifetime. If I am presented with an opportunity to do something great, I will always be ready, but greatness is usually the result of a lifetime of small investments of our faith.