All posts by Treva Barnard

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About Treva Barnard

She is the mother of 3 beautiful girls, an author, a mentor, an inspirational writer and a minister in the gospel.

The Testimony of My Scars

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I had just finished cooking dinner and as we were getting ready to sit down to eat all of a sudden I hear this cry. I looked up and it  was my baby girl who instead of coming to tell me what was wrong she tried to go upstairs to take care of it. I immediately asked her what was wrong? Her sister said that she had cut her finger and you need to see it.  I asked her to let me take a look at it and when she had pulled back the paper towel it was more than I could have ever imagined. There was blood coming from the finger she had cut and it looked as if she had taken a big chunk out of it.  I asked her what happened and she said that she was trying to cut open her icy that she had made. I didn’t hesitate with what to do. I wrapped it back up and said let’s go, we are going to the emergency room because I already knew she would have to have stitches.  I was trying to make sure everyone stayed calm including me, although on the inside my heart was beating fast because that is my daughter and I don’t like to see when my children are hurt and they are suffering.  I had them to take their dinner with them so they could eat it along the way.  Of course my baby girl was still crying, but I kept trying to reassure her that she was going to be ok. I would hug her tight whenever I had the chance.  As we were on the way I noticed it was a little after 7:00 and thought about my Doctors office which was still open. I decided to call and to see if they would be able to work her in so we wouldn’t have to go to the ER and sit their for hours.  They said that they would see her and take a look at it.  We got there and after they looked at it said that they were going to be to able to fix her up. As I had thought she was going to have to get at least 4 stitches. Of course she was not happy about that, but the Doctor reassured her that she was going to be ok.  She talked her through every process and even let her pick out her own color stitches. The hardest part was that they were going to have to stick a needle in her wound to numb it. Not just once, but 3 times. She immediately started crying even harder because she has never been able to handle needles. The Doctor kept reassuring her and I told her I was right there and she could squeeze my hand. Each time the Doctor put in the needle I held her tight and told her to squeeze my hand as she let out a big scream and cried. She burried her head into my chest and I looked straight up to the ceiling.  Now that was tough. All I could see was blood and a swollen finger and I kept praying.  The last thing I needed to do was pass out. The worst part of it was over and it was now time to put the stitches in.  The Doctor began to talk to her about the next progress. She told her because she had a very clean cut they wouldn’t have to do any special repairs, that it would heal up just fine and that it wouldn’t take long.  You might say well

what happen to her sister during this time? She decided to wait outside because she couldn’t bear to see her in pain. She would periodically come in and check on her and right back out the door she went. It was finally over and the Doctor gave us instructions on how to keep it clean and when she needed to come back to have the stitches removed. We told her how proud we were of her because she really did good. I explained to her on the way home that she didn’t ever need to try to hide what she had done  because it was an accident, it could have gotten infected which would have made it worst.  They say that in time all wounds heal. You can normally tell by the type of cut what kind of scar it will leave, although there are some cuts that will leave an internal scar that can’t be seen from the outside. We tend to hide our scars out of fear of what others may think, embarrassment or the memory of how the scar even got there. No matter how ugly your scar it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It is what it is a scar and the scar(s) are only a testimony of the thing(s) that should have killed you, BUT yet you survived instead. We all have a story to tell and it is the tesimony of our scars that could help save someone else’s life.

Father Can You Hear Me

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Yesterday I had a very humbling experience. We were in the park in Downtown Greenville by the water falls chillin. Taking a few selfie’s and just enjoying our day before the concert to see Tye Tribett. This man came up and began to conversate with us. I heard the Lord say tap in. I sat straight up and began to listen to him. He said that he was homeless and was going around to ask people if he could display his talents this is what he is doing to help him through his transition. He was very well mannered and wouldn’t proceed unless given permission. I gave him permission and he began to sing “Praise is what I do” This man wasn’t a great singer, but it was his heart that drew me in. He could have sung anything or been doing anything, but in spite of his condition and his circumstances he chose to praise God. I began to listen even closer as tears started to fall down my face. When he finished he said thank you for your time to listen to me. He started to walk away and I gave what the Lord spoke to give and my sister followed. Though it wasn’t very much I gave out of obidience. I felt the spirit of the Lord very strong and asked him if we could pray with him? At this point I wasn’t concerned about the public setting, but I recognized the moment and followed God’s direction. He was glad that we asked him and was more than willing. My sister and I grabbed his hands, I began to pray and speak over his life. When the prayer was over we gave him a hug. We continued our conversation and the Lord continued for us to minister to him. The thing that stuck with me is after he thanked us again he said, ” to be honest I had been watching you all from the bridge and I said there goes my help. I was very nervous and I almost didn’t come, but I said to myself again I believe there goes my help. He went on further to say that we need the Lord and need to be ministered to also.” Ministry is bigger than the inside of the 4 walls of your local church, outside of it is where true ministry begins.

It’s Only An End To A Beginning

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In every story book there is a beginning and there is an end. In every story there is usually more than one chapter and with every chapter one is ending and a new one begins; however, there are times when the next chapter will be continous from the previous chapter, but yet no two chapters are ever the same.  There are some chapters that you may experience the joys and sorrows, the heartaches and pains. It will sometimes make you happy, laugh or cry and at times you may become angry. No matter the roller coaster of emotions you may experience through out the story if it is something that has grabbed your attention normally by the end of the story you would say, “Now that was a good book”. The only difference in the books that we read and our life story is that it’s true and we are the author of what we write.  Have you ever been reading a book that the chapter (s) were so good  that you had to go back and read it again? Or maybe it made you feel some kinda way, maybe you lost interest and were unable to move past where you were. We can become this way in life that we become stuck at the beginning and we are unable to make it to the end.  We can tend to focus only on the bad things  with in our life story that we forgot about all the good things that have happened or we have experienced that should be able to give us lasting memories,but we allow our worst days to be what’s lasting in our thoughts. God has so much more in store for us if we we could only change our frame of mind.  As we continually grow and if we are wise we are able to continually build upon each one and turn our chapters around.  Everyone may not know the details of our story but they will be able to see it through our lives.  Though that chapter in your life has ended  new life is beginning and the story continues. As you began again flip the page “WHAT’S COMING IS BETTER”

Looking Beyond The Surface

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In January of 2014 I had to have a root canal which turned into three visits , 2 hours a piece and then they were still wanting  me to go to an oral surgeon for them to complete the root canal.   Due to the reoccurring pain that I was having they thought that I still might have a nerve that they were unable to find. I told them then just to go ahead and pull it out, that  I didn’t feel like it was worth saving.  They told me all the reasons they wanted me to try and save my tooth.  At that this point I really didn’t care. All that I had already been through was enough and I no longer wanted to be in pain. With feeling as if going to the oral surgeon would not help I made the decision to wait it out and see if maybe the symptoms would subside and the pain would go away. Months went by and  instead of the pain going away it begin to increase even more. So I went back to the dentist office and they did another xray and told me that they were going to have to pull out the tooth anyway. There was a cavity that was going down into the bone which probably  was the reason for my pain. I was so upset because they failed to tell me there was a cavity in the first place, that they didn’t see this before now, plus I had already told them from the the beginning to go ahead and pull my tooth out. So I went through all of that uncessary trama for nothing. It took them longer than expected to pull out my tooth because the roots were so big on this tooth that it took an act of Congress to get it out which ended in me having stiches. They were diffently right, the cavity  had actually started growing a hole in my tooth.  In life we spend much more of our time focusing on the symptoms that we ignore or never get to the real problem that created the symptoms anyway. The symptoms are only what surfaced from a problem that had been ignored, overlooked or was hidden because we chose not to confront it. The problem normally exist way before it surfaces. I believe the reason why we sometimes fail to go straight to the source is that we are afraid to confront some of those things because it could very well cause us to confront the “inname” Our perspective on what we see as the source of our problem ends up not being so much about others, but about us. We can never conquer the thing(s) we choose not to confront. It is when we can look past the surface and deal with the real source of our issues that we can walk in total freedom and victory.

What’s Coming Is Better

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As I reflect back on this year so far with it only being the second month of the New Year what a journey it has already been. A lot of people have experienced the bliss and prosperity of what a New Year can bring while some of us have went into the New Year hurting, experiencing some type of pain, disappointment, frustration or a broken heart due to the loss of a loved one(s), a loss of a job, a relationship of some kind has ended or maybe you are fighting for the life of a child. I can guarantee that whatever you maybe experiencing that most of them were unexpected and they came out of no where. For me and I’m sure like many others of you had your goals and plans already set as you were preparing yourself for what you thought was coming next, but then the unexpected happened that caused your life to somewhat shift. I felt my life falling apart in some areas, but  as I began to pull myself together I felt my life coming together in others. After the shock of it all I began to shift my focus and I refused to give up. My mind went back to when I was 17 and I felt like there was no hope for me, that my life was over. So I decided and had made up my mind that day to end my life. I went into my father’s room and stood in his bedroom with the gun that I got out of his drawer and pointed it at my head. I was ready to pull the trigger and then I heard this still small voice say, ” I have better for you.” I kept questioning this voice that kept reasoning with me to make me believe that what’s coming is better. I am now almost 42 years old and though in my life I have had to face many challenges it has been better and yet where I am today is not my final destination it is only apart of my itinerary. Joel 2: 25 says, “And I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten, the cankerworms, and the caterpillars, and the palmer worms, my great army which I sent among you.” I said all of that to say this, though the fight has been great God is greater than anything you may face and His grace is sufficient for you. You might not be able to understand it, able to explain it or even see your way out of it at this moment, but allow your faith which sees beyond where you are right now and know that what’s coming is better. Take your focus off of where you are now and invision where you want to be. It won’t always be like this God will perfect that concerning you and sooner or later it will turn in your favor, is turning around for you.

You Are The Original Copy

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I went back to work thinking that I was better after being in the bed for four days with flu like symptoms. I probably received it fom my daughter who was sick the week before or it could be the fact that I work at a Doctors office where the flu is running rapid.  I always make sure to follow the correct procedures with keeping my hands washed and santizied, but it never fails when any of my kids are sick especially when their is vomiting involved I am bond to become sick too. As I tried to find the strength to work that day I felt me going fast as I barely had the strength to operate, so I went to see one of the Doctors and they immediately sent me back home for two more days with flu like symptoms.  I didn’t complain at all because the way I was feeling that’s exactly where I needed to be. I finally got home and got right back up under my covers and fell fast a sleep. I found myself In this room where it looked like people were being worked on and recreated. I kept seeing these pictures of me the past, present and the future. It was as if God was working on me, but yet there I stood watching it happen.  I asked God why are there so many images of me and he replied  I am creating you into what you shall be and I am sending these images ahead of you.  You are an original piece, you are copywritten.   I have all the rights to you and no matter how people may try to distort or try to duplicate your image they can never change the original copy. Psalms 139:14 “You are wonderfully and fearfully” I am taking all of pieces of your life  and making a master piece called “You”. Then I woke up and all I could remember is “You are an original copy”. We were all created here for a unique purpose and we are no accidient no matter how we may have gotten here.  NO MATTER where you may find yourself today God has a plan just for you. Not only were you created to give God glory, but you were created to make a difference and change right where you are. Sometimes the 1st change begans with us.  Maybe you have lost who you are, maybe you don’t even know who you are all. It is NEVER to late to began again and find out who you were created it to be. Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end”

Don’t Quit

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I was getting off of work one day and as I looked up at the sky,  I could tell that there was a storm coming. The clouds were very dark and you could even smell the rain.  My goal was to get my girls and make it home before the storm.  I went into get the girls from Afterschool and I explained to them how we needed to try and get home before the storm began. As they looked at the sky they knew my reasons to why.  We were half way home and it began to pour down the rain to the point that it began to hail. It was raining so that you could hardly see to drive and people were pulling over on the side of the road.  It began to thunder and the lighting crackled in the sky.  My girls became afraid and asked should we stop like everyone else.  I replied, if we stop in the middle of this storm it will take us longer to get home and we are right around the corner.  I may have to slow down some, but the important thing is that we keep going. I remember asking the Lord to please just let us make it home safely. As we came around the corner to be able to turn up the street to our home, the rain subsided.  See girls the storm was only temporary and the storm has passed. Just think if we stopped, we would have still been sitting there waiting for the storm to cease. I was thinking how this is the 1st month of the new year and if this is what my year is going to be like then God you must really have something amazing for me on the other side of all of this. I have found out that in life when we are facing our greatest storms or challenge’s that is when there is a blessing, a breakthrough, a miracle right around the corner if we persevere through it all. I also realize that those are the times when we want to give up.  Yes it will hurt, no it doesn’t feel good and yes it seems like it lasts forever, but we still can’t quit. There is something greater on the other side of through.  As I began to focus on something other than what I might have been feeling or experiencing at the time the stronger I was becoming. The more I began to think and speak positive though the symptoms may remain and my situation(s) may not have changed, but because my perspective and my view on what I was going through had I was able to press through and not quit. Though there are some days that I feel like I can slay Goliath and other days I feel like I just can’t do it, I still find the strength to go through and not quit. One day at a time sweet Jesus that is all I am asking of you. Give me the strength to do everything one day at time.  When giving up no longer becomes an option then moving forward is the only thing left to do. DON’T QUIT……GREATER IS COMING!

You Are Worth It

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Life has a way of tearing you apart to the point that even to yourself you become unrecognizable.  Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror one day and wondered “Who Am I”  Sometime’s it isn’t until everything that you once depended on has been removed or to the point of rock bottom that you finally step away from the scene to refocus, re-evaluate your life as you find yourself of needing to hit the reset button and began again.  As easy as we would hope that could be it isn’t as easy as it seems.  When you have lost your identity through faults, failures, mistakes, opinions of other people while trying to fit in where they thought you should or who they wanted you to be and even when they created you they still didn’t want you. The process that you have to go through while on the road to recovery, healing, restoration and finding who you are again can be long and painful but is necessary for you to find your true identity and to be able to move forward in your life. The great thing is that in this journey and quest to finding out who you really are and who you were created to be doesn’t have to be done alone.  Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee”  It is when you seek your identity through the eyes of God and not through the eyes of man that you will find out who you really are.  I know that life has thrown you some unexpected blows or it could even be that you are in a place because of poor choices and bad decisions that you have made in your life, but you are never to far down that God can not reach you and you can never be to far removed to still receive his grace.  2 Corinthians 12:9 “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”  No matter how many people have left you, abandoned you, dropped you, said you were nothing, would never be nothing or amount to anything God simply wanted me to remind you that YOU ARE WORTH IT and if you still have doubt or need more clarification that he does, remember that he died on the cross just for you and me. No matter what you’ve done, what’s been done to you or where you have been YOU ARE WORTH IT.  You are never to broken or too damaged beyond repair.  God still has need of thee, YOU ARE WORTH IT!

Facing Your Gaints

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I was starting the 9th grade, a Freshman in High School which was scary enough. It was the rule that the upper class would give the freshman a hard time as if to pass some kind of  initiation, while I was yet dealing with a bully at the same time. She didn’t know me and I didn’t know her, but for some reason she picked me out of the crowd and made me the target. She was very big in stature and the mere words that came out of her mouth made it worst.  I had never been afraid of anyone, but this girl who was like a giant caused me to walk around in fear.  I would wonder how could someone be so cruel, to spread lies  and ruin others reputation as if to seem like some kind of hero.  I never told my parents, but my friends that knew would encourage me to just ignore her and to keep moving.   I knew that one day I was no longer going to be able to hide or run, but I would have to face her. I was very athletic in my day.  I played basketball, softball, tackle football with the neighborhood kids. They were holding try outs for the Powder Puff which was a girls football team at school, so I decided to try out. I made the team and of course the bully was on the opposite team.  I ended up facing her one on one.   They say that big things come  in small packages and what was about to happen next was unexpected.   They said hut and I found myself pressing into her until I moved her out of my way and I went down the field to receive the pass and made the touch down.  That was one of the best days of my life because I faced and defeated what I had considered my giant. From that day forward she never bothered me again and I was highly respected not only among my piers, but those older than I. It doesn’t have to be big in stature to be considered a giant.  A giant can be anything that is a hindrance from you moving forward.  Fear, intimidation, insecurities, faults, failures, past mistakes, etc. It takes a lot of courage not only to face your giants, but to defeat them. It is necessary in order for us to move forward.   2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love power and of a sound mind”  The great thing in facing our giants is that we don’t have to fight them alone. No matter how big the things may appear to be in your life it is not bigger than the power of God.  If we trust God he will show us just how to defeat and conquer the giants that we face in our life.

Under Construction

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Every morning I drive my girls to school which is about a 2 hour commute each day.  One morning on the way to taking them to school one of my girls said, “Moma how long are they going to be building on this highway. It seems like it is taking forever and now the road is all curvy and I don’t like that” I laughed because that just came out of no where and her expressions were so serious.  I responded to her by saying, I’m not sure how long it might take.  Sometimes it may take awhile depending on what they are trying to accomplish. This is a major highway and they can’t close it completely down so they have to do it in stages.  She then went on to say, I’m just ready for them to get it over with. All I could do was agree with her. They were currently making 4 lanes on both sides of the highway to help elevate heavy traffic.  They added a bridge on one side, but in order for them to work on the other side they had to change the direction in which we would normally go. This is what my daughter was experiencing and was having to adjust herself from what she was use to.  The constructors put up all kind of warning signs, flashing lights and clear directions prior to coming to it. This is so that you will know that you are approaching an area where there is construction and you are about to experience a change in the road pattern that you will need to drive with caution.  I remember when we first had to experience this, I like my daughter  didn’t like it either. After awhile I adjusted to the change even though I still may not have been completely comfortable or ok with it. I didn’t like what I was experiencing, but I realized it was necessary.  It is amazing the constructions that I have seen whether a highway, intersection, a house or a building and although while during the beginning stages you wouldn’t understand the reason or could only imagine what it would look like at the end.  Once the construction was over and it was clear to access, what you saw was more than what you expected. Even still you would have to enter with caution because it was a new area or surrounding that you would have to adapt to the change. God has away of doing just that.  He will redirect your life and sometimes it is without warning or notice.  It makes absolutely no sense at the time especially when you are fine where you were.  You could be at the point of what you call arrival and then here comes the signs, the signals, the lights that will let you know that your direction is changing.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes when that happens to me I’m kicking, screaming and having my tantrum like God haven’t I been through enough already. I can see God looking at me with his arms folded saying, “Okay are you done now”  Sometimes the reason for the construction in our life is because there are still some places in us that need to be healed, things we still need to learn before entering our next season or there could simply be things in us that God is trying to bring out.  No matter what it maybe are we willing to go through the process to become better. We never know how long it may last or take, but it is necessary.  He knows the plan for our life and all we have do is trust him and follow his lead.  When we turn the construction of our life over to God, he always builds something beautiful.    Phillipians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who has began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” The best of you is yet to come.