The 2026 FIFA World Cup has brought millions of visitors to the United States. As fans, athletes, journalists, and families arrive from around the world, an interesting pattern has emerged. Many visitors have shared surprise at how much they enjoy their time in America.
Why?
Because for some, their actual experience does not fully match what they expected.
Some visitors anticipated unfriendly people, unsafe communities, or a culture they would struggle to enjoy. Instead, they found welcoming neighbors, generous hosts, vibrant cities, beautiful landscapes, and memorable experiences.
This isn't a political observation. It's a human one.
The World Cup offers a fascinating real-world example of something psychologists have understood for decades: our beliefs are often shaped by learned behavior, repeated messaging, and secondhand information rather than firsthand experience.
And as Christians, this should cause us to pause and reflect.
What Is Learned Behavior?
Learned behavior refers to attitudes, beliefs, and responses that develop through observation, repetition, and experience.
We learn from:
Family
Friends
Teachers
Social media
News sources
Cultural narratives
Personal experiences
Many of these influences are helpful. They teach us how to navigate life and avoid danger.
However, learned beliefs are not always accurate.
Sometimes we inherit assumptions that were never tested.
Sometimes we accept narratives because everyone around us repeats them.
Sometimes we become so confident in what we've heard that we stop asking whether it's actually true.
The World Cup provides a perfect example. Many visitors are discovering that their lived experience differs from what they previously believed about America.
When direct experience and prior assumptions collide, we have an opportunity to grow.
The Brain Loves Shortcuts
Our brains are designed to conserve energy.
Rather than evaluating every piece of information from scratch, our minds create mental shortcuts known as schemas. These schemas help us quickly interpret the world around us.
The challenge is that schemas can become distorted.
If someone hears the same message repeatedly, they may begin treating it as fact—even if they have little personal experience to support it.
Psychologists call this the "illusory truth effect."
The more often we hear something, the more believable it begins to feel.
This affects all of us.
It influences how we think about other countries, political groups, churches, generations, races, professions, and even ourselves.
Many people who enter therapy discover that some of their deepest beliefs about themselves are actually learned narratives:
"I'm not good enough."
"People always leave."
"I have to earn love."
"I'm too damaged to change."
These beliefs may feel true because they have been repeated for years.
But feeling true and being true are not always the same thing.
What the World Cup Reveals About Human Nature
When visitors arrive in the United States expecting one thing and experience another, they are engaging in a process psychologists call cognitive restructuring.
Their minds are updating old assumptions with new evidence.
This process can be uncomfortable.
Humans naturally resist information that challenges existing beliefs.
We often prefer certainty over curiosity.
Yet growth requires humility.
The World Cup reminds us that reality is often more nuanced than the stories we tell ourselves.
The same principle applies in our relationships.
Perhaps you've assumed:
Your spouse doesn't care.
Your child is intentionally disrespectful.
Your friend is judging you.
Your church community doesn't understand you.
Sometimes those assumptions are accurate.
Many times they are not.
Healing often begins when we become willing to test our assumptions against reality.
What Does the Bible Say?
Scripture repeatedly calls believers to seek truth rather than simply accept appearances.
Proverbs 18:13 says:
"To answer before listening—that is folly and shame."
Likewise, Proverbs 18:17 reminds us:
"The first to state his case seems right, until another comes and cross-examines him."
These verses highlight a timeless principle: wisdom requires investigation.
God does not call us to believe everything we hear.
He calls us to exercise discernment.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Paul writes:
"Test everything; hold fast what is good."
Notice the instruction.
Not "reject everything."
Not "believe everything."
Test everything.
As Christians, we should be among the most thoughtful people in society because our faith is rooted in truth.
Truth welcomes examination.
How This Applies to Mental Health
Many people enter counseling carrying beliefs they have never questioned.
Perhaps someone grew up hearing:
"Your feelings don't matter."
"You have to be perfect."
"You can't trust anyone."
"God is disappointed in you."
These messages become deeply embedded over time.
Yet through counseling, Scripture, and healthy relationships, individuals often discover that these beliefs are incomplete or simply untrue.
One of the most powerful moments in therapy occurs when a client says:
"I always thought that was true about me, but now I'm not so sure."
That moment creates space for healing.
The same way a World Cup visitor might realize, "America isn't exactly what I expected," a therapy client may realize, "I'm not who I thought I was."
Both experiences involve replacing assumptions with reality.
Jesus Challenged Assumptions
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus regularly confronted false narratives.
People assumed:
Tax collectors were beyond redemption.
Samaritans were enemies.
The sick were being punished by God.
Religious leaders were automatically righteous.
Jesus challenged each of these assumptions.
Again and again, He invited people to look deeper.
To see individuals rather than stereotypes.
To seek truth rather than settle for appearances.
His ministry reminds us that God often works beyond our expectations.
A Challenge for All of Us
As the World Cup unfolds across the United States, perhaps the greatest lesson isn't about soccer.
Perhaps it's about humility.
How many of our beliefs have been shaped by repetition rather than reality?
How many assumptions about ourselves, others, or even God need to be examined more carefully?
Growth happens when we remain teachable.
When we listen.
When we investigate.
When we allow truth—not fear, rumors, or cultural narratives—to shape our thinking.
As Christians, we have confidence that truth ultimately belongs to God.
That means we do not have to fear asking questions.
We can seek understanding with open minds and anchored faith.
The next time you encounter someone—or something—that challenges your assumptions, consider it an opportunity.
You might discover that reality is richer, more beautiful, and more grace-filled than you imagined.
Hope in Christ. Help in Therapy.
At Pruned to Grow Counseling, we help individuals identify unhelpful beliefs, process past experiences, and replace distorted thinking with truth rooted in both sound psychological principles and God's Word.
If you're struggling with anxiety, trauma, relationship challenges, or negative beliefs about yourself, counseling can help you examine those assumptions and experience healing.
Because growth often begins where old narratives end.