Audrey Johnson, DPT

If you have spoken to me at any point over the past 2 years, you know my life has been chaotic and fun and stressful all at the same time. Choosing an accelerated physical therapy program was a bold decision, but I truly am so thankful for it. It has challenged me and pushed me and forced me to grow in ways I could have never expected. But anytime you are in the midst or approaching the end of an academic journey, there is one prominent question that is asked over and over again: “so what are you going to do after school?” And honestly one month ago, my answer was very simply “I don’t know! It’s a surprise!” However, the last 3 weeks have finally presented an answer to that very question.

Some back story: last summer after I completed an internship at a hospital in Arkansas, I had pretty much decided I was going to end up in an acute care setting. I love the pace. I love the diversity. It was a great experience! So when given the option to complete either a 6 month outpatient internship or 3 months at OP followed by another 3 months in a hospital, the decision was obvious. I wanted to get back into the hospital asap! Then my professor called me one day to tell me she had secured me a spot at Vanderbilt! Vanderbilt!! The plan was for me to do 3 months at a Benchmark PT clinic and then finish out my internship hours in the hospital (Did I mention Vanderbilt?) So I found a roommate via a group on Facebook, packed my stuff, and headed to Nashville!

My first 2 months in Nashville were great! I mean, they were freezing. But they were great! I had found a crazy awesome roommate with an insane passion for life and Jesus, and I was actually enjoying the outpatient PT world way more than I thought I would. I’m not lying when I say I thought it was going to be a severe struggle for me during those first 3 months. I enjoyed the clinic I was at and got along amazingly with the staff there. Things were literally so great! Then March happened… And things took a real turn.

Vanderbilt emailed me and said they had decided to discontinue allowing students to come to try to limit the number of people coming in and out of the hospital to protect their patients. A fair decision! But Vanderbilt was literally the whole reason why I was in Nashville to begin with! Fortunately, my clinical instructor at Benchmark offered to let me stay with them the whole 6 months to not fall behind on my hours. But that’s not what I thought I wanted. On top of that, my dad found out some bummer health news (he’s good now! Because God and doctors are wonderful!), but I hated the fact I was so far away from my family during this. Why would God trick me into coming to Nashville only to be away from my family and have my plans drastically change in the midst of a national pandemic?!

Well, the answer to that is very simple: because He is a lot smarter than me and He was not surprised by any of these events.

Fast forward a few months to June. I am wrapping up my 6 month internship at Benchmark and literally loving every second! I was starting to feel like a real physical therapist. Like I might actually be ready for this! I was still open to an acute care position, but I had realized how much I loved getting patients to their return to work/ sport goals and building relationships with them during their time at our clinic. The only thing standing in my way was the unfortunate state of the job market. It definitely looked different with less opportunities than I thought I would get presented with upon graduating. One day when I was looking over job listings, I saw a posting for a Benchmark Physical Therapy position in Knoxville, TN. I have been to Knoxville several times over the past couple years for school and love the area. Plus, I have family there so I wouldn’t be all alone as I started this new adventure. So I went for it!

One Monday, I met the regional director for coffee and then the two of us drove out to meet the clinic director and office coordinator. We toured the clinic, chatted for a little bit, went to lunch, and chatted for a little bit more. We decided it would be a good idea for me to come back and shadow the next day to spend more time with them. Then the regional director and I headed back to where we had met that morning. When we got in the car, he looked at me and asked, “So before I say anything, what do you think?” I told him I thought it went well, but I really didn’t have a lot to compare it too. He casually responded with “yeah I think so too! So why don’t we meet in the morning before you head out to shadow so we can talk salary and benefits.”

Me being the awkward human that I am: “Wait, so are you saying things are going well for me?” (Way to go, Audrey. Very professional sounding.)

He laughed and responded, “Um yeah, things are going really well for you”

So I am moving to Knoxville! Well technically Jefferson City. I am literally so excited about this opportunity. The clinic director and office coordinator are energetic and kind women who I am confident will make work fun while also encouraging me as I begin this journey of being a new practicing physical therapist!

Here are my conclusions about this whole situation:

1. God is good, even when things seem bad. I did not understand why all this had to happen. But being able to work as an intern for 6 months for a company like Benchmark was a great experience! And certainly give me an in during this application process. Benchmark and this clinic provide so much opportunity for personal and professional growth and I’m so thankful to be able to start my career there.

2.  It is so important to surround yourself with people who can support you when things get hard. That stranger that I met on the internet and moved in with in Nashville turned out to be one of the biggest blessings over the last 6 months. She allowed me to be sad when things were hard and celebrated with me when things were good! She has quickly become a lifelong friend and I literally love her so much!

3.  Just to reiterate, God is still good even when things are bad. There is so much hurt and pain, both physically and relationally, in our world right now. This is Satan’s attempt to divide God’s creation against itself and damage our relationships with each other and with Him. But there is also so much opportunity for good. This could be an amazing time to allow for us to focus on loving one another during a time when many are not as busy as we normal are because there isn’t as much going on. That is where God is.

4.  And finally, God is still good even when things are bad. I am fully aware that His level of goodness was not dependent on how quickly I got a job. With the status of the job market, I was totally prepaid to start working PRN somewhere and slowly work my way up once things in the healthcare world started returning to normal. Also, He could have very much used this time of uncertainty to teach me patience and trusting His timing. But He let me off easy this time! And I am so excited to see where this next step of my journey leads me!

God's Provision

Are there other things I need to be doing right now? Probably.

Is it too soon to be announcing the insanity that was my day? Maybe.

But I wanted to share this while everything was as fresh as possible.

So as you may or may not know, I am currently in Fayetteville, Arkansas for my first round of clinicals for PT school. How did I end up here you may ask? Well, I told my professor I was up for an adventure so she sent me here. Then all of these just super cool but random things kept lining up into place. I actually have family that live in this area who have been so kind and generous in taking care of me. I found this girl I’m living with off air bnb who is so sweet and fun! And I made friends off bumble bff (yeah I really put myself out there) and have loved getting to spend time with them. To top it off, I got a text from my cousin a couple weeks ago saying my aunt was coming to Arkansas for work this week and we would get to spend time together! All these things were just working out so perfectly in a way I couldn’t explain but was very thankful for!

The first couple weeks I was here were hard. It was strange to go from a city I have lived in like my whole life to a place where I didn’t know really anybody. Honestly, my relationship with God kind of took a back burner position. I kept trying to fill the emptiness I was feeling with other meaningless things (mainly food tbh) and it was not helping. Like at all.

Then a few weeks ago, the sermon at the church I am attending here was about seeking the kingdom of God first. It was a seemingly simple message but man, it hit me in a real hard way. I realized that is not what I had been doing. So I got more intentional with planning my time with Jesus. I started giving up a couple extra minutes of sleep in the morning to read the Bible with breakfast and started listening to worship music on my way to work. It should be no surprise, but my mood, my energy level, and my eating habits all started improving! I thought I was on a mountain top I would get to ride forever!

But then today happened…

As I mentioned, my aunt and my cousin had come into town and I got the opportunity to eat breakfast with them before going to work this morning. Per my routine, I put on my worship music and was getting my heart and mind ready for the rest of my day. I was driving on the interstate, as I have done every day, when it started raining. No big deal right? I mean I am from Florida. The sunshine state is misleading. It rains there all the time! I slowed down a little bit but continued worshiping and enjoying my drive.

I had this moment where I heard this voice in my head that said “hey, you need to brace yourself. Satan is about to attack you and you need to be ready.” Within seconds, I was spinning out of control. I hit something really hard and came to a stop.

I woke up very aware of where I was and what I needed to do. I called 911 (who seemed surprised someone who just wrecked on the interstate was making their own call), opened my door, and walked out of my car to avoid sitting in the middle of traffic.

Turns out, I thankfully did not hit another car. Instead I hit the big concrete median. The state trooper said normally when people hit that barrier, the impact causes the car to flip. For some reason I didn’t, and he couldn’t explain that. But I can!

If you know me, you know I have been in this similar situation before. Things were going good with me and Jesus, and Satan tries to literally wreck that. Last time it was a pole in Jamaica. This time it was a slick spot on the interstate. But I got 3 words for him: NOT TODAY SATAN! God is continuing to teach me to trust Him and His power to provide. Do I wish He would have provided me like a million dollars or a husband? Oh, for sure! But this is what He is using to teach me now, so I’m trying to embrace that.

And yes, my car is totaled. And no, it’s not ideal and I’m not trying to minimize that. It sucks. But because God is good, even though I am 13 hours away from home, I still have family here that can love on me. I will have days off work to go car shopping. If something changes and my body seems to show something is wrong, I literally am working at a hospital.

And my rental car which I will be using until further notice is a 2019 Jeep Sahara, which happens to be my dream car. So things are looking up!

Valentine's Day Will Never Be The Same

It started out the same as every other Valentine’s day. Okay, it was really the same as any other day. I was going to go to school, go to work, and then go home to prepare for all the half price chocolates I was going to buy myself the next day. Typical single girl Valentine’s day plans. But then something happened that forever changed this day for me.

Last year, a student in south Florida walked onto his high school’s campus and opened fire. The numbers don’t matter because one student lost is too many. Hearing news like that is shocking no matter who you are or how close you are to the situation. But something more bothered me. This student picked today on purpose. This was his way of announcing to the world how unloved he felt. He must have cringed every time he walked past red and pink at the store during the weeks leading up to today. This was not an accident. He hated Valentine’s day. And he wanted everyone else to hate it too.

That evening, I had the privilege to speak to a number of young people. Every time tragedy like this happens, we always debate what our role is. Do we acknowledge that it happened and risk frightening those who didn’t know? How much time do we spend on heavy topics like this? I couldn’t shake the fact that even though I spoke to this group regularly about how I am there for them, I knew I needed to express this same message again. I reminded them how special they are. I reminded them how loved they are. I pleaded with them to share with someone if they are in a place of deep hurt. Not really expecting anything. Definitely not expecting this.

A young person I had spoken to before, but honestly not extensively, came to me and shared a plan they had to end their life the next day. Because they were heart broken. Because they hated Valentine’s day. The flood of emotions I felt is something I will never forget. What was I supposed to say? What could I say? What if I said everything I knew to say and it still wasn’t enough?

Let me be clear, this was not a pat on the back moment for me. I have never been so afraid in my entire life. I literally do not remember 98% of the words that came out of my face. For over 2 hours, I sat on the floor with this person I barely knew, internally weeping and praying that God would take over this conversation. I knew I needed Him at this moment more than I ever had before.

(“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” -1 Corinthians 12:9-10)

I remember telling them what anyone who has experienced heartbreak before would have told them: you are going to make it. That pain is so real. I would never try to act like it wasn’t. Being rejected by someone who you thought loved you is the worst feeling. But one day, it will get better. For sure not overnight, even though sometimes that would be nice. There is nothing you cannot overcome. How sad it is when we choose a permanent or life-altering solution to a feeling that is so temporary.

It’s not new information that there are hurting people in our world. Heartbreaks, tragedy, and disappointments are all things we will deal with at some point in our lives.

Your hurt is not too extreme for someone to understand. You do not have to fight these feelings alone.

Please don’t ever be too busy for someone who needs you. We all need someone to talk to. Be willing to be that person. I’ll be that person for you if you need it!

And if you are involved in our DNow this weekend, first of all, get SOO excited!! This weekend is going to be amazing! But even though we would love to make it an isolated bubble of fun and protection, there are going to be students there dealing with the worst of life. A simple reminder of “you are loved” may mean the world to someone. My request for this week is for us all to be praying that God continues to work in spite of our weaknesses and that no student will leave Sunday unsure of their worth!

Darkness will not win this weekend. Not today Satan!

Ikea Life Plans

It has been a hot minute since I felt like I had to time to breathe in the past couple months. Having still moments always prompts me to reflect on my life: where I have been, what I have been through, and where I am going. I began to think about the life the younger versions of me imagined. I can say with quite certainty, they never could have predicted this.

I never thought I would still be in Tallahassee. The longer I am here the more I love it. But I have tried leaving so many times for school or jobs I thought I wanted. But somehow, God consistently shows me it isn’t time for me to leave yet.

I never thought my first overnight hospital stay would be in a foreign country. I had decided that since I survived being a teenager with no major medical incidents, I would be good until I had to go to become a mom or something! That obviously was not the case. That event still is the strangest couple days I have ever, and probably will ever, experience. But I got a great story out of it so I guess that is something.

I never thought I would be voluntarily signing up for more and more school. In high school, I had always looked at career paths only requiring one degree. But grad school? Yeah right… I could never do that.

I never thought I would still be living with family after graduating from undergrad. Because I had always assumed I would find a one degree career. One degree, instant job, forever independent. But nope! I am an in-debt grad student living with my grandparents. But I know I will forever be so thankful for the time I get to invade their lives and their home.

I never thought I would be working at a church. When Aaron asked me to quit Chick-fil-a to come work for him, I was sure he was having a momentary lapse in judgment. I wasn’t qualified. I’m still not! But I love it. I love getting to be a part of some of the most important and challenging times in our students’ lives. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I never thought one of my younger sisters would be getting married before me. I’m the oldest. I’m supposed to be the one giving marriage advice and relating to the joyful stress of planning a wedding, but I got nothing! And yeah, some days that is a tough reality. But I also know there is not a single person in the world who could make Savanna happier than Caleb. He is the most perfect man for her and the absolute best first brother-in-law.

I never thought I would be oh so very single at 24. High school Audrey thought I would be married right out of undergrad. Apparently, God is on His own timeline. Shocking I know.

These are just the brief highlights of a long list of ways, things, and choices I have made that I could have never predicted. God tells us “I know the plans I have for you (Jeremiah 29:11)”. Some days I wish those plans were clearly written out. Like a step-by-step Ikea furniture manual. Place this here. Tighten this relationship there. Pick up this opportunity and connect it with this. But I’m also so thankful it is not. Our lives are a journey. A journey filled with so much purpose and even more surprises. And I’m sure that even in another 5 or 10 years, the plans I have for myself now will not be comparable to the place and the person I will be then.

I’m ready for the adventure. I hope you are ready for yours too!

Without A Doubt

This past weekend, I had the absolute privilege of taking some of our high school seniors to the beach for a farewell graduation trip. This was my third time taking our students as a leader, and every time I am convinced it is better than the last! Our entire leadership brings their “A” game every year and it is literally a blessing to be surrounded by such caring and Jesus-filled people. Here’s the funny thing about leading any sort of Christian retreat: so many times, we come prepared to teach and encourage those we are leading and every time God teaches us even more!

One afternoon, I had somehow landed some one-on-one time with one of my favorite women on this planet. We were both laughing and enjoying some much needed time together until she asked me THE question: “Audrey, how are you? Not how is school or work? How are you? How is your heart?” And then in the most loving and gentle way, she ripped off an emotional scab I had been trying to deny was ever there. But she knows me better than that…

As she listened to me share these things I was struggling with, she asked me if I believed God had a plan for my life. The answer was “well, of course! The Bible says He does.” Then she made me repeat this phrase until either she thought I believed it or at least knew it was going to stick with me: without a doubt.

Yeah… That was hard to say. Saying that I knew God had a plan for me and wanted what is best for me was head knowledge. To say that I believed it without a doubt, that is a heart thing.

Here’s what I have realized about heart knowledge: often learning it comes with a fair amount of emotional pain, but not because it is evil or undesirable. Think back on your life. What are the memories that are the strongest? What past sensations can you feel the loudest? More likely than not, it’s the sensation of pain that sticks with us. It’s easier to recall exactly how you felt when you broke your foot, but a lot harder to remember how it felt the last time you got to hug the loved one you lost.

Pain is hard. We never wish it upon ourselves and somehow it still always finds us. It overcomes us at our weakest and pokes at us when we are at our most vulnerable. It knocks us off our own two feet and takes our breath away. Does the pain of our past or our present try to yell louder than anything else? Without a doubt.

Healing is harder. It requires us to admit defeat and fall at the face of our Savior. It brings us to the point of realizing we cannot do this on our own. Healing is never fun. It demands we come face to face with our giants and run at them with our sling, stone, and mighty God behind us. Do I know God is behind me every step of the way? Without a doubt.

Does God see you in your brokenness right now? Without a doubt.

Does God feel the sadness and hurt you are experiencing? Without a doubt.

Does He want you to run toward Him with tears in your eyes and arms open wide? Without a doubt.

Will He catch you every time you fall into Him? Without a doubt.

“Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” -Philippians 4:7 (The Message)

Stupid Cliches

This is going to be hard for me to admit, mainly because it’s more honest and embarrassing than I usually care to share. But I’ve been thinking about clichés and how they got to be clichés. The answer has to be because on some level, maybe even most levels, it is true. So here is a story about a cliché that is actually a good one.

One thing you need to know about me is that Gideon is my prayer spirit animal. He and I are definitely on the same page. In case his story is not one you are familiar with, let me fill you in. God asked Gideon to lead an army to take over a BIG army that was getting ready to go to war against the Israelites. He wanted to believe that God got it right, but he needed to make sure. So he gave God a test. He put out some fleece and told God if this really was what he was supposed to do, let the fleece be wet and the ground dry when he woke up the next day. If fact, he did it twice to guarantee it was not an accident. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t an accident. And Gideon defeated an army with like 30 people because God’s awesome. Judges 6:11-8:21)

Anyway, I pray like that a lot. Sometimes I need God to give me signs so I know I am hearing His voice and not some delusion I made up. Most of the time, I use cars. Because God can make anything happen! He can make any car pass me at any moment. And that’s how I pray. 

As many stories seem to start, “so there was this boy…”. And he was great. A real solid dude. The kind of dude that I thought maybe would be the marrying type. So I got to praying.

I live by a bunch of car dealerships and one of them had this bright purple jeep right in the front. I love a good jeep, but it was a crazy bright purple! I figured the chances of it selling where about the same as this guy realizing he was supposed to marry me. So I prayed and told (as if I have any power) God that jeep was going to be my sign. When it wasn’t there anymore, I would know something big was about to happen!

Every day I drove past that dealership, and every day that purple jeep was still there. Then one day, I got to carve out some super intentional and real time with God. I got to have a very honest conversation about where I was at emotionally and literally cried out to Him. I knew that He loved me and He was listening. So that was good enough for the moment.

That same day, I drove past that same dealership and the purple jeep was gone. Then I heard it. “I needed you to know I am enough for you. Even if this boy is not the one, I am still enough for you.” And you know what, He is.

God is enough for you. He is literally all you need. You don’t need that person or that job or that money or that car. God is enough. If fact, He really is the only thing you need. But that’s phase 2. Realizing He is enough is phase 1.

My point is this: prayer is powerful. Pray the bold prayers and the scary prayers. The prayers maybe you are not even sure you want answered. And yeah, the outcome might not be what you really hoped it would be. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pray it. Because often, it’s in those moments that God shows up and reminds us exactly who He is.

“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I'm Here For You

This is going to be short and to the point. But in light of recent events, I wanted to put this out there:

Here’s the reality: life is far from perfect. There is so much hurt and deception and evil in the world. Some of it is just things we hear about on the news. Some of it is affecting you personally. Some of it just causes you to pause and think about your life. Some of it literally feels like your world is crashing down around you. Recently, I was reminded of something very important that I need you to know. Whatever it is that you are facing, God is bigger than it.

If you feel like everything around you is full of darkness, God is the light of the world (John 8:12). If you feel like you are a mistake, God crafted you. There’s no way you can be a mistake (Psalm 139:14). If you feel weak and broken, God is your strength (Psalm 118:14). If you feel unloved, God literally is love (Psalm 36:5-7). God is a million times bigger than the giant that is in front of you. He wants you to put on His armor and run toward your giant. There is no need to fear about coming out victorious. Jesus has already won the victory.

You’ve probably said or heard the phrase, “if you everything need anything, I’m here for you” more times than you can count. I know I have, but I still will continue to say it. Why? Because of those few times people take me up on it. If that’s where you are at, I’m here for you. Go ahead and message me! I don’t care if we’ve never really talked before. I don’t care if we have talked but we’ve lost touch. I don’t care about how awkward it may or may not be. I never want anyone to feel like they are alone in this world. Because you are not. You are loved by an Everlasting God. You are treasured by the Maker of the stars. You are important to the King of universe. You are not too far, too messed up, or too broken for Him. And I will tell you that every single day until you believe it if you need me to.

You are loved. You are treasured. You are important.