Circumstances in life can sometimes cause us to feel imprisoned, trapped—by the consequences of our choices, negative patterns of behavior, harmful relationships, bad health, injustices inflicted upon us, the holding of grudges. Ultimately, the stain of sin would cause our downfall and just transfer us from one prison to another. Said the prophet Jacob: “Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man”—meaning our earthly condition of being estranged from God—”must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more. … And our spirits must … be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself” (2 Nephi 9:7, 9).

Enter the convict Bernhardt and his cellmate, Joshua (a not-so-subtle use of an equivalent name for Jesus).

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My idea for the Parable of the Hailstorm was sparked by the lament of Jesus over Jerusalem as He contemplated the rulers’ rejection of Him and the city’s past and future destruction: “how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23:37).

Later, after His Crucifixion, He mourned over the people of the Western Hemisphere as they waited in darkness, and over all the house of Israel:

O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.

And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.

O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.

—3 Nephi 19:4–6

The Lord had a long history with Israel’s descendants, and He had beckoned to them and called upon them time after time to come to Him instead of to the mute and powerless gods worshiped by the nations around them. As He wanted to gather them even when they hadn’t yet been scattered (that gathering is another parable for another day)—He must have wanted to gather them in a sense other than physically.

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One of the tasks often undertaken by someone in my profession of business analysis is a “gap analysis.” Said gap is the difference between the current state of a business or product and the future state. If you can identify what’s missing, than you can come up with a plan to close that gap and transform the business or product into that future version, often done by undertaking a project or by taking smaller steps or iterations toward the future state. So the Parable of the Gap Analysis comes from personal experience (though I’ve never encountered such a drastic situation).

Even though He didn’t approach it quite this way, Heavenly Father’s plan and purpose for life on earth reminds me of this situation—hence the parable.

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I’m sure the Last Supper involved many poignant moments, but a prominent one for me is when Jesus said to His apostles, “With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

In His final hours before the greatest trial that anyone would or could ever experience came upon Him, He wanted to be with some of those He had the closest relationships with. His friends.

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One of the words used in the scriptures to describe our relationship with God is heir. Paul wrote to the Romans, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs” (Romans 8:16–17).

The deceased mother in the Parable of the Will represents our Heavenly Father, the Progenitor of our spirits, and the executor of the estate is Jesus Christ. He executes the will—in other words, the plan and purposes—of Heavenly Father. That makes Heavenly Father’s children the heirs, gathered to hear His directions on how we can receive the riches that He wants to impart to us. He has stipulated the terms in the scriptures and revelation through modern prophets, specific steps that we need to take.

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