I love John 6.  After Jesus goes through this long speech about how He is the manna from Heaven and no one will have life unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood, the people following Him begin grumbling.  And many of them turn and stop following Him.  So He asks the twelve if they want to leave too.  And Peter responds with some of my favorite lines in all of Scripture: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69 ESV)

That has always stuck with me.  It seems so resigned.  Like he is saying that if there were another way, an easier way, then maybe they would leave.  But the utmost desire is for the words of eternal life, to know Christ.  And Peter knows what he truly wants, and he knows that Christ is the only place to get that.  The others turned away because they wanted something different or easier and didn’t believe that Christ was truly the only answer.  And Jesus says that the way we come to know this is not by intellectual assent or logic, but only by the Spirit and being called by the Father. 

This is the crux of perseverance.  To know what we truly desire.  To have our old, sinful wants exposed as nothing and our new desire, eternal life and union with God, becomes driven into us so nothing else even appeals.  And that final resolution that there is no other who can give us this.

In the times of great struggle I have wanted to turn away.  Wished I could.  Wished there were another way.  But thanks be to God that He has shown me the truth.  And resigned, and with great joy, I answer like Peter.  There is nothing else I want, and no other way to get it.  I will follow You. 

And I thank God every day that He chose to open my heart to that and illuminate His truth in me.