Christmas Dinner and Eternal Life

My family commemorates things with food. Christmas is no different. We spend all afternoon preparing a meal fancy enough for Prince William and big enough to feed the whole block. This year's menu featured shrimp, scallops, crab legs, fresh fettucini with an asian ginger sauce, a salad with pears, avocado, and gorgonzola cheese, grilled pineapple and asparagus, and grilled chicken and venison sausage (for the non-seafood lovers). There was more on the menu, but it was cut once we realized only six people would be eating!  Once everyone was served, we held our glasses in the air and toasted to good family, friends, and food.
The meal was delicious to say the least. I ended up sitting at the table for an extra half hour, too full to move. There was one thing that I realized that night when I was reflecting back on a seemingly uneventful Christmas day. Our Christmas dinner is a lot like eternal life. Stick with me for a minute...
As I said, my family centers on food. I fully believe that the majority of my parents extra spending money gets put towards food. Other things are sacrificed so we can eat well. My parents are also endowed with the gift of hospitality. You put together a love of food and the gift of hospitality and you get many, many wonderful dinner parties.
Growing up, my dad refused to give myself and my older brother crab legs. He didn't want us to develop a taste for expensive food. Makes sense. You don't want to spend tons of money to satisfy a child's taste buds.
Ten years later, my little brother came along. My parents were slightly more established in their careers and ate much fancier things. My little brother grew up with my parents making him try crab legs, shrimp, filet mignon, you name it.
As we sat down for Christmas dinner last night, my little brother licked his lips, put his hands together and said, "My favorite meal!" He has tasted and he knows how much he loves crab. The kid can even distinguish between different kinds of crab.
My older brother, on the other hand, hated his meal. He hasn't lived with us in almost 7 years. He doesn't go out to eat like we do. He doesn't have fancy dinner parties. His palate is not accustomed to expensive food like my younger brother. He left the table having barely eaten, while the rest of us were stuffed to the brim.
How is this like eternal life? I think it's about goodness. There is a passage in Scripture that speaks about the inability for people who don't believe to understand and appreciate Christ the same way believers do. If you haven't tasted crab legs, you probably will not like them at first. My little brother still remember the first time my parents made him try them. He was disgusted. Oh how far he has come! I am a Christian. I have experienced the presence and love of God. It is good. I desire it. I deeply appreciate times when God meets me and pours out his love. For those who don't believe, this concept is lost. One day, I want to sit around a table with my family toasting to the goodness of God, not just the goodness of food.