<Holding A Grudge: Bryan Duncan Shares His Heart

Holding A Grudge: A Thought From Bryan Duncan

There's an old man who sits every morning on the sidewalk in front of Otwell's Tire store in my town. He's been out there everyday since the first of the year... going on nine months!

He holds a sign that says "This place is a rip off." He's disgruntled about the work performed -- not on his vehicle, but the vehicle of someone he knows. I am astounded at his determination in the fields of resentment.

Faithfulness? Yes. Misguided? Absolutely. I've wanted to stop and scream at him, "Hey, get a life!" And then in my amazement God taps me on the shoulder and says, "Just because you don't sit on the corner with a sign of your resentments doesn't mean you don't do the same thing everyday."

How many times have I chosen to dwell on memories of wrongs done to me, to the point of not accomplishing much else? My prayer is that I could channel my own determinations for doing something good with the intensity and strength that a resentment can hold. Why does a grudge seem so much easier to nurse than a loving heart toward others? You know what I'm talking about... just seeing the face of an old nemesis in my mind comes with his prior "rap sheet".

I think forgiveness takes insight into how another person lives and why they act as they do. I try to see myself in their shoes and understand the circumstances that would cause a person to make the decisions to strike out at someone else. That doesn't mean that I "reverse the victim" in the scenario, but I understand that the consequences of our anger and resentment fall squarely on our own shoulders.

The old man is wasting a lot of time trying to impede the prosperity of another at the cost of his own prosperity. How ludicrous! And yet when I judge that someone else should not prosper because they do not deserve to prosper, my own attempts at prosperity fall flat. In this way I'm setting myself up as God, trying to determine the outcome of another soul. It's not my job nor is it yours. So today I thank God for my ability to let go and forgive others. And because of this old man, I can picture in my mind the freedom that I have not to waste my time sitting on the sidewalk of life with a sign that says, "This place is a rip off."

Keep coming back ~ Bryan Duncan

Bryan Duncan started his career in Contemporary Christian Music in 1973 with the Sweet Comfort Band, and 1985 marked the beginning of his solo career. He has sold in excess of 1 million records, released 15 solo albums, and appeared on several compilation projects. He has released three solo video projects and one joint tour video as well as having done the video for the smash hit, "Left Behind". Duncan is the recipient of three Dove Awards and has received multiple Dove Award nominations.

Duncan has had many #1 hits over the years including "Traces of Heaven," "Things are Gonna Change," "United We Stand" and "Don't Look Away" from the Slow Revival album; "Love Takes Time," "You Don't Leave Me Lonely," "Into My Heart," "When It Comes to Love" and "I'll Not Forget You" from the Mercy album; and "A Heart Like Mine" from the compilation "My Utmost for His Highest."

Check out Bryan Duncan's releases:

2005 Music City Live DVD (Red Road)

2005 Music City Live CD (Red Road)

2000 Joyride (Diadem)

1999 Love Takes Time: 17 Timeless Classics (Myrrh)

1998 Last Time I Was Here (Myrrh)

1997 Blue Skies (Myrrh)

1996 Quiet Prayers (Myrrh)

1995 Christmas Is Jesus (Myrrh)

1994 Slow Revival (Myrrh/Epic)

1992 Mercy (Myrrh/Epic)

1990 Anonymous Confessions of a Lunatic Friend (Myrrh)