Cognitive Dissonance and Faith
Faith isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s the decision to bring your struggle to God rather than walk away from Him.
Image by Kateryna Hliznitsova via Unsplash+
Lately, I’ve been sitting with this idea of cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the tension we feel when our beliefs and our lived experiences don’t fully line up. I’m not a psychologist or theologian. I’m just someone who’s wrestled with thoughts and feelings that felt out of step with what I believe, and for a long time I didn’t know what to do with that tension. However, over time, through prayer, study, and grace, I’ve started to see that God understands this internal conflict more than I realized. I’m still learning, but here’s what I’ve come to understand, and maybe it will help you too.
When Belief Feels Misaligned with Reality
Have you ever had a moment where you thought, “Why am I thinking this? I shouldn’t feel this way… I know better.”
You’re not alone.
Many believers experience moments when our thoughts, emotions, or actions seem to contradict the faith we profess. We believe God is loving, yet feel deeply unlovable. We know we’re called to forgive, yet still harbor anger. We trust that God is good but question his nearness in suffering.
These inner contradictions are not just spiritual confusion; they are normal. The unfortunate reality is this tension can make us feel like we’re “bad Christians.” As a result, we rarely talk about it. We keep quiet out of fear, shame, or the belief that we’re the only ones struggling like this. In reality, many of us wrestle with some form of internal conflict.
Where Dissonance Shows Up in the Christian Life
Cognitive dissonance shows up in many places. Some are more obvious than others. It arises in the quiet corners of our faith walk, in places like
Belief vs. Behavior: “I know what’s right, but I keep doing the opposite.”
Faith vs. Emotions: “I trust God, but I feel overwhelmed.”
Calling vs. Insecurity: “God called me, but I don’t feel qualified.”
Grace vs. Legalism: “I believe salvation is a gift, but I still try to earn it.”
Conviction vs. Culture: “I believe what the Bible says, but I’m afraid to say it.”
Trust vs. Circumstance: “God is in control, but everything feels chaotic.”
Dissonance doesn’t mean your faith is weak. It means your soul is awake, and these moments of tension are often where God meets us most tenderly.
Disconnection As A Pathway to Peace and Clarity
One of the most liberating responses to dissonance is learning to disconnect your identity from your thoughts, emotions, and momentary struggles. This isn’t denying your struggles or escaping them; it’s making space for clarity. It’s the act of saying, “I am not what I feel. I am not what I think. I am who God says I am.” This idea echoes both modern psychology (cognitive defusion) and scripture.
“Take every thought captive to obey Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5
You are allowed to notice a thought without submitting to it.
You are allowed to feel fear without calling yourself faithless.
You are allowed to stumble and still be completely loved.
Disconnection frees us from the tyranny of the moment and anchors us in the deeper truth of who we are in Christ.
Reminder
If you’re wrestling with tension between what you believe and what you feel, please take a breath. Our God is far more loving, gracious, and merciful than we can ever begin to understand.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55: 8-9.
I want you to remember and know that this internal tension and struggle doesn’t disqualify your faith. It actually means you’re engaging with it honestly. Some people walk away from faith not because they never believed, but because the weight of their questions, shame, or inner conflict became too much to bear alone. However, what if the invitation isn’t to run from the tension but to bring it into the light?
Scripture is full of people who experienced deep dissonance: Job, Jeremiah, Peter, Thomas, and even Jesus in the garden. And God didn’t reject them; he met them in that dissonance.
If you’ve been hiding, doubting, or drifting, hang on to what’s true: faith isn’t the absence of struggle—it’s the decision to bring your struggle to God rather than walk away from Him.
