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Happy fall to all those who are reading this faith column today. By the time you read this we will have crossed over into October already.

Time continues to march on. Pretty soon, it will be Christmastime again. I don’t want to talk about Christmas or how we’ve moved into pumpkin spice season.

I do, however, want to talk about how seasons change. We move through spring as things begin to come alive after winter. We head into summer as the season between school years and the primary vacation time of most families.

Fall comes in as colors begin to change and temperatures get cooler. Winter rounds out the list as things quiet down outside and the days grow shorter.

So what do we know about seasons? When we talk about seasons, we are not just referring to the length of daylight, what the temperature is outside or what time of year it is.

Life is full of seasons.

We might be entering a new season of life. We might find ourselves in the middle of a season. We might be on the verge of leaving a particular season of life.

Many of the seasons of life are good and full of joy. Still others are very difficult and extremely painful.

Then there are the times where multiple seasons, whether good or bad, might be overlapping in our lives at the same time.

Our seasons of life come in many shapes, sizes and durations. New seasons can look like a new job or a new place to live. They can look like new opportunities or new hobbies. They can look like the beginning of a new season as parents, grandparents or entering retirement.

Even moving from one level of school to another can be a new season. Still others can look like the loss of a job, close relationship or other opportunity.

They can look like an unexpected loss of a family member or close friend. There can be a surprise diagnosis that has very life-changing effects. Perhaps there is a season of financial instability for a family.

I do not know what seasons of life you may be walking through as you read this. I do not know if it is a good season or a difficult season.

However, I know a couple of things about seasons of life.

First, no season lasts forever, good or bad. Even when we are in the middle of a difficult season with no seeming way out, the season will end and we will emerge from the other side.

Second, there is beauty in every season. Just like how in the natural world spring, summer, fall and, yes, even winter have an inherent beauty.

Finally, the most important thing to know about seasons of life: Know that you are not alone in whatever season you find yourself. You might even find yourself in a season like Psalm 23 in the valley of the shadow of death. However, the verse doesn’t stop there, does it?

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”

Note that the psalm doesn’t deny the darkest valley is happening, but it reorients our vision within the valley.

Know that the one who formed you still sees you in that dark season. He doesn’t always take us out of a season, but he has promised to be a rock for us. He has promised to never leave us, not forsake us.

Thus, even in the darkest of seasons, we can trust in his strength and faithfulness.

Jeff Brown is assistant pastor at New Life Church in Pine River.