the fog in my eye

john 17
jesus prays for his disciples, his followers, his people...
verses 9 - 13, he prays for protection of his disciples, that they are not lost to the evil one, like the one who was "doomed to destruction"... ignoring the predestination tone of this bit, cuz i don't want to go there right now, this recording of an eavesdropped prayers (honestly, how else could John have written that whole thing down? and what was he thinking when he DID write it down? i think i would be crying... silently.. but that's a tangent...)
where was i...
oh yeah, this brings up the question in my head that i've debated and questioned and pondered with people for years, since back in the day at red willow bible camp: can believers ever lose their salvation? i have long believed that we can't -- once you accept the holy spirit and fully trust in Christ's resurrection and obey/rely/follow God as best you can, in the reassurance that you will fail and its okay, you can't lose that, or the promise of eternal life...
this intercession from Christ himself almost seems to prove me wrong... if he's praying for the protection of the people that physically followed him around in the dust and mud so they aren't lost, that implies they CAN be lost...
is it a choice we make? can we drop this gift and break it, once it's been handed to us?