As Christi Gibson travels around the country and shares her personal story, she is reminded of God’s unfailing love, mercy and grace. It’s what pulled her from the lowest valley to walking in the light.

Most people once assumed that Christi and her late husband John were the picture-perfect couple. He worked as a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and she served as the minister of discipleship and missions at First Baptist Church New Orleans. Meanwhile, they were struggling with a shameful secret of unfaithfulness and infidelity that no one was aware of at the time. That struggle ultimately led John to take his life when his name was leaked out through the Ashley Madison website hack in 2015.

The website, which continues to be dedicated to helping married people engage in infidelity, is the subject of a new documentary by Netflix. Gibson also shares her story through a new book, “This Hope Remains: A Story of Staying Through the Storms.”

In the midst of a painful journey toward healing, Gibson shared she “does not blame Ashley Madison or the hackers.”

‘Instruments of God in our life’

Instead, Gibson has found peace through offering forgiveness. She believes that God used each of the parties involved to “be instruments of God in our life, and that God, in His rich mercy, wouldn’t allow us to continue living in such a sinful and shameful way.”

Gibson continued: “It was the demolishing of our image and left us standing naked in rubble, exposing all of our flaws and failures. I think that’s why John took his life, because in his mind, it was just too much to bear — that God had allowed us to wander in the wilderness and outside of the light.”

Turning point

Trying to find the strength to press on, Gibson notes this was the pivotal turning point of allowing God to work and trusting Him in the midst of a heartbreaking journey.

“My kids and I looked at each other and said, ‘We’re going to walk in light and truth,’” Gibson said.

“God has called me to be painfully honest, and the ointment in healing is His Holy Spirit. It is hard, but there is healing,” she noted. “I firmly believe that God is writing this story of redemption for the purpose He has for me — to provide comfort to others with the comfort that I’ve been comforted with.”

Along the way, God has opened doors and provided many platforms for Gibson to share her personal testimony including The Dr. Oz Show, CNN and, most recently, the Netflix documentary on the Ashley Madison scandal.

Ministry opportunities, new book

With each platform, although it is painful, Gibson desires to offer hope to those who are hurting by connecting them to Christ.

“God has provided me with comfort, courage, caution and community,” Gibson said. “We didn’t live with caution and in community as we should have, but there was a community of people who took care of me and helped me get back up as God gave me purpose.”

While the journey hasn’t been easy, Gibson has found therapeutic outlets along the way through recreational vehicle (RV) travels, writing blog updates and creating Come Alongside Ministries.

“I know that God has a plan to give hope and a future and to use my life story for His glory,” Gibson said.

In addition to her speaking engagements, Gibson has also hopes her new book can help others traveling through dark valleys.

“In the midst of deep sorrow and pain, God’s love goes to the very depths and when He has been at the very hardest place with you, you can’t achieve that intimacy with an easy life,” Gibson said.

“Praise God that His mercies are new every morning. A friend texted me for an entire year with a daily reminder of that, and I would add on the blog: ‘This is the 265^th morning that I woke up as a widow.'”

She noted, “I hated that word, but I wanted to own it and to encourage people not to give into the deceit of sin, but to encourage each other and come alongside one another to offer hope, to pull up next to the church, be astounded at what God is doing and strengthen one another.”

For more information on Gibson, visit comealongsideministries.com.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was written by Leann Callaway and originally published by The Baptist Paper.