I’m a bit disappointed because my Oakland A’s on down two games to the Detroit Tigers. But I’m a man of hope—I believe they’ll come back and win the next four. However during Wednesday’s playoff atmosphere -– real life happened. In the midst of it all, baseball didn’t seem to matter quite as much.

New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle died in a plane crash, when the plane he was flying slammed into a Manhattan high-rise apartment building. He leaves behind a wife and a 6-year-old son. And we’re all reminded of how fragile life is and how quickly it can be gone

Mary Ann and I saw Lydle pitch when he was playing for the A’s in 2001. We were sorry to see him traded at the end of the season.

Over the days ahead, the Lidle family will grieve much, and rightfully so. His wife Melanie has lost a husband and friend. His 6-year-old son Christopher has lost a dad. They will never be the same, and will live with a gaping void that cannot be filled. They desperately need our prayers.

But thankfully, the Lidles’ grieving will not be as those who have no hope -– because despite the fact that Lidle is gone from this life, he claimed allegiance to the one who gives life everlasting.

“Cory and I had spoken on several occasions,” said Rich Sparling, the Baseball Chapel leader for the Philadelphia Phillies, Lidle’s former team. “One of the issues that he had wondered about was eternal security. We spoke about how salvation was a gift from God in response to our faith, and because of God’s grace it doesn’t depend on us.”

Those are comforting words to all of us, especially during a tragedy like this. No one is immune from a sudden death at a young age. A life that is vibrant and full today can quickly be gone tomorrow.

Thankfully, there is hope for us in a life that is short and uncertain. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”