Calling Corianton to Repentance

Alma 39:7 And now, my son, I would to God that ye had not been guilty of so great a crime. I would not dwell upon your crimes, to harrow up your soul, if it were not for your good.

In Alma 39, Alma found himself in the position where it was necessary to call his son, Corianton, to repentance, yet in verse 7, he says that he wouldn't dwell on Corianton's sins or call him to repentance if it wasn't for his (Corianton's) good. After this conversation, Corianton repented and returned to the light, which made the call to repentance and the harrowing up of his soul worthwhile. If he wasn't going to repent, there would have been little point in calling him to repentance, so Alma might not have done it.

Of course, this interpretation may be wishful thinking on my part. It's not pleasant to call people to repentance. One can lose friends and even one's job that way. So, I attempt to justify my cowardice by telling myself that, since the people I know aren't going to repent no matter what I tell them, there's no point in telling them that they should repent.

But I'm sure that's not the lesson God wants us to take away from this. He wants us to extend the invitation to repent to everyone, regardless of whether or not we think they're likely to accept it. Any bit of encouragement we can give them may get them closer to the point at which they're willing to repent, even if it doesn't get them all the way there by the end of the conversation.

Alma seems to say that he wouldn't call Corianton to repentance if it wasn't for Corianton's good, yet he does so anyway, perhaps because calling a sinner to repentance is always for the sinner's good, even if they don't accept the message and repent right away. At least we can give them a nudge in the right direction.

Calling people to repentance is unpleasant, and I'm more than willing to justify not doing it, but I really should do it more often, for my friends' sake. Of course, I shouldn't be overbearing, preachy, or holier-than-thou about it, but I should at least remind them of what their conscience is telling them and encourage them to listen. Sure, it won't be pleasant, but it's for their good, and if I truly want what's best for them, I owe it to them to extend the invitation, regardless of whether I think they're likely to accept it.