Lesson 73 – “I will there be light.”

To say, “I will there be light,” is to remember what you are. This lesson is not about forcing light to appear, or trying to “be positive.” It is about choosing again for the Will you share with God, instead of the tiny, fearful will you made in separation.

The Course is inviting you to discover that your true will and God’s Will are not in conflict. In fact, they are the same. You do not have a separate will; you are God’s Will for happiness, peace, and light. Lesson 73 is a gentle but radical correction of the belief that you want something different from God.

1. The Core Teaching

What does “I will there be light” really mean?

In the language of the Course, “light” is not physical brightness. It is understanding, truth, love, and peace. To will light is to say:

• I choose to see truly.
• I choose to remember love instead of fear.
• I choose to align with the truth of what I am, rather than the story I made.

The lesson tells us that when you say, “I will there be light,” you are claiming your function as the bringer of light to the world. Not because your ego is powerful, but because your true Self is an extension of God’s Love.

You are not begging for light from outside. You are allowing the light that is already in you to shine through the fog of fear.

What is the ego trying to hide?

The ego’s entire strategy rests on one central lie:

“Your will and God’s Will are different. If you follow God, you will lose.”

From this lie come many others:

• If I do God’s Will, I won’t get what I want.
• God’s Will will cost me my special relationships, my pleasures, my individuality.
• God’s Will will demand sacrifice, suffering, and loss.

So the ego tells you that you must protect your “own” will. It whispers that you must defend your preferences, your grievances, your judgments, your specialness. It says: “If you let go of these, you will disappear.”

Underneath all of this is a deeper fear:

If I let God’s light in, I will see that I made up this separate self, and that it has no reality. The ego equates this with death.

So the ego hides the light by:

• Keeping you busy with constant problems.
• Encouraging you to judge yourself and others.
• Making you feel guilty, ashamed, or unworthy of love.
• Convincing you that peace is impossible “in this world.”

The ego is terrified that if you truly experience the peace of God, you will never again believe in its stories.

What is the Holy Spirit revealing?

The Holy Spirit is the quiet Voice in your mind that never left God. It knows you as you were created: innocent, whole, and loved.

The Holy Spirit gently reveals:

1. *Your will and God’s Will are the same.*

You want peace, joy, safety, and love. God’s Will for you is exactly that. There is no conflict. The conflict is only between your ego’s will and your true will.

2. *You do not really want what hurts you.*

You may think you want specialness, control, being “right,” or holding grievances. But the Holy Spirit shows you that every time you choose these, you suffer. And you do not truly want to suffer.

3. *You are the light of the world.*

Not as a special person, but as a creation of God. Your mind, when aligned with Love, naturally radiates peace. You don’t have to manufacture it; you only need to remove the blocks.

4. *There is nothing to fear in letting go.*

What you lose are only illusions: guilt, fear, attack, and loneliness. What remains is what you have always been.

To say, “I will there be light” is to say, “I choose to remember the truth. I choose to want what I really want.”

2. Applied to Daily Life

Let’s bring this lesson into the situations where the ego’s voice feels loudest.

Relationships

Suppose you feel hurt by someone close to you. The ego says:

• “They should have treated me better.”
• “I need them to change so I can be at peace.”
• “I must protect myself with anger, withdrawal, or blame.”

In that moment, “I will there be light” means:

• I am willing to see this person as innocent, even if I don’t know how.
• I am willing to see that my peace does not depend on their behavior.
• I am willing to let the Holy Spirit reinterpret this situation.

You might pause and say silently:

“Holy Spirit, I will there be light in this relationship. Show me what is true here. I am willing to see beyond my hurt.”

You may still feel upset at first. That’s okay. The willingness itself opens a space in the mind where healing can enter.

Work and career

At work, the ego often speaks through anxiety, competition, or the need to prove yourself.

• “I must succeed or I’m worthless.”
• “Others are threats to my security.”
• “I have to compromise my peace to get ahead.”

“I will there be light” at work might look like:

• Before a meeting: “I will there be light in this room. Let me see my colleagues as brothers, not competitors.”
• When criticized: “I will there be light in this moment. Let me hear only what is helpful and release the rest.”
• When overwhelmed: “I will there be light in my mind. Help me remember that my value is not in what I do, but in what I am.”

You are not asking for a specific outcome in form. You are asking for a shift in perception—from fear to love.

Illness and the body

When the body is sick or in pain, the ego uses it to “prove” that you are vulnerable and separate. It says:

• “I am this body, and it is failing.”
• “God has abandoned me.”
• “My peace depends on my body being well.”

“I will there be light” in illness means:

• I am willing to see that my true Self is not this body.
• I am willing to remember that I am still as God created me.
• I am willing to let this situation be used for healing my mind, not reinforcing fear.

You can say:

“Holy Spirit, I will there be light in how I see this body. Let me not use it as proof that I am weak or guilty. Show me the lesson of love here.”

This does not mean you deny treatment or ignore symptoms. It means you do not let the body define your identity.

Anxiety and daily stress

In moments of stress—running late, dealing with bills, worrying about the future—the ego says:

• “You are alone and must figure everything out.”
• “The world is dangerous and you are at its mercy.”
• “You must control everything to be safe.”

“I will there be light” becomes a gentle interruption:

• Stuck in traffic: “I will there be light in my mind right now. My peace does not depend on arriving on time.”
• Paying bills: “I will there be light in how I see money. Let me remember that my true Source is God, not the world.”
• Worrying at night: “I will there be light in these thoughts. I do not know what anything is for. I am willing to trust.”

Each time you say this, you are loosening the grip of fear and inviting a different Teacher to guide your mind.

3. Overcoming Resistance

Why might this lesson feel difficult?

1. *Fear of losing control*

The ego believes that if you surrender to God’s Will, you will lose your individuality and control. So it resists a statement like “I will there be light,” because it senses that this is a choice against its rule.

2. *Attachment to grievances*

Part of you may feel that anger, blame, or judgment are justified and necessary. To will light can feel like letting someone “off the hook,” or betraying your own pain.

3. *Belief that suffering is meaningful or deserved*

Many of us carry unconscious beliefs that we should suffer, or that guilt is noble. The idea that God’s Will is only happiness can feel suspicious or even offensive.

4. *Fear of change*

Even when we are unhappy, the familiar feels safer than the unknown. The ego says, “Better the misery you know than the peace you don’t understand.”

Gently addressing the doubts

You do not have to force yourself to believe this lesson. You only need a little willingness.

You can say honestly:

• “Part of me is afraid of this idea, but I am willing to try.”
• “I don’t fully trust that God’s Will is my happiness, but I am willing to be shown.”
• “I still feel angry or hurt, but I am willing to want the light more than I want to be right.”

The Holy Spirit does not demand that you be fearless. He only asks that you not lock the door from the inside. Your slight willingness is enough for Him to begin undoing the fear.

4. Today’s Practice – Step by Step

Here is a simple way to practice Lesson 73 today.

A. Morning practice (10–15 minutes)

1. *Sit quietly*

Close your eyes. Take a few gentle breaths. Let your body relax.

2. *State the idea slowly*

Say inwardly, several times, with as much sincerity as you can:

“I will there be light. Light is my will because it is God’s Will.”

3. *Acknowledge your shared Will*

Reflect softly:

• God’s Will is my happiness.
• I have believed my will was different.
• Today I am willing to remember they are the same.

4. *Invite the light*

Say:

“Holy Spirit, I open my mind to the light. I am willing to see differently. Show me where I am still choosing darkness, and help me choose again.”

5. *Rest in quiet*

Spend a few minutes in silence. If thoughts arise, gently repeat:

“I will there be light.”

Don’t fight the thoughts; just let the words be a soft anchor.

B. Short practice periods during the day

Several times an hour, or whenever you feel tension, pause for a few seconds:

1. Take a breath.

2. Say inwardly:

“I will there be light in this situation.”

3. If possible, add:

“Let me see with the eyes of Christ, not the eyes of fear.”

Use this especially:

• Before conversations.
• When you feel upset, anxious, or tempted to judge.
• When making decisions.

C. When you feel strong resistance or upset

If you feel very angry, afraid, or sad, you can say:

• “Right now I don’t feel the light, but I still will there be light.”
• “I am willing to want peace, even if I don’t feel peaceful yet.”
• “Holy Spirit, hold my hand in this. I cannot do it alone, but I am not alone.”

Let the words be a bridge between your current emotion and the truth beyond it.

5. Comparable ACIM Lessons

Lesson 73 is closely connected with several other lessons:

• **Lesson 37: “My holiness blesses the world.”**

Both lessons affirm that what you are brings light and blessing. You don’t manufacture holiness; you allow it.

• **Lesson 41: “God goes with me wherever I go.”**

This reminds you that the light you will is already with you. You are not calling something distant; you are uncovering what is present.

• **Lesson 65: “My only function is the one God gave me.”**

Lesson 73 deepens this by showing that your function (to bring light, forgiveness, and peace) is exactly what you truly want.

• **Lesson 71: “Only God’s plan for salvation will work.”**

Here you begin to question your own plans. Lesson 73 is a further step: you actively choose God’s plan by willing the light.

• **Lesson 72: “Holding grievances is an attack on God’s plan for salvation.”**

Lesson 73 is the positive alternative: instead of holding grievances (darkness), you choose light.

Together, these lessons gently dismantle the belief in a separate, conflicting will and restore your awareness of unity with God.

6. Closing Thought

Each time you say, “I will there be light,” you are taking the side of your true Self. You are not trying to become something better; you are remembering what has always been quietly shining in you.

Let today be simple: you are either choosing light or choosing darkness in each moment. And whenever you notice you have chosen fear, you can calmly say:

“I will there be light instead.”

Nothing more is asked of you. Nothing less will satisfy you.