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Middle School

Don’t Be A Whiner

  • Lesson 4
  • Fall 2025
  • By: RLD Editorial Team
  • September 28, 2025
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Lesson Focus:

Don’t complain.

Bible Basis:

Exodus 17:1-6

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

  • Prepared game cards using index cards or scraps of paper (see instructions below)

Step 4:

  • Internet access
  • Whiteboard and marker (or a screenshared document)
  • Index cards
  • Pens/pencils

Summary & Links:

Students will roleplay over-the-top whining as they begin to think about their own complaining habits.

Memory Verse:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing.
—Philippians 2:14

Step 1:

Students will roleplay over-the-top whining as they begin to think about their own complaining habits.

Materials Needed:

  • Prepared game cards using index cards or scraps of paper (see instructions below)

Before class, prepare game cards by writing one of the following whine-worthy problems on each index card or scrap of paper. Depending on how many students you have, add additional scenarios or make duplicate cards and have two or more students show their best, whiny response at the same time to the card they received.

  1. Your mom makes your least favorite meal.
  2. Your older brother embarrasses you in front of your friends.
  3. You tried to get tickets to see your favorite band in concert, but the tickets were already sold out.
  4. Your friend leaves you on “read” (reading text messages and not responding).
  5. Your Wi-Fi goes out, and you can’t message your friends.
  6. Your grandma offered to take you out for ice cream on Saturday, but she woke up sick and wasn’t able to take you.
  7. Your sister’s taking forever in the bathroom.
  8. Your coach promised to let you start the next game and went back on that promise.
  9. Your brother made you late for school.

Greet your students as they enter. Ask them to share something that has annoyed them in the past week.

It’s amazing how easy it is to start talking about things that annoy us. The truth is, life is full of situations—big and small—that are not our “ideal.” We’re going to play a game. Give your BEST over-the-top, dramatic whine to the situation you receive.

Hand out cards and play a round of the game by calling out the letter of a scenario and having the student give their best whine. (If your class is meeting online, you can send individual scenarios for students to respond to via the chat feature of your video chat software.) Make sure they know to give enough information in their whiny response so that the other students know what they are whining about. If you’ve created duplicate cards due to class size, ask for everybody with an “A” card to step forward to give their best whiny response to the scenario on their cards, etc. 

  • Why do you think complaining about things comes so naturally to us? (Answers will vary and could include: There are just a lot of things that can go wrong, we all need to vent, it’s easier to complain than actually try to solve a problem, etc.) 
  • What kind of response does complaining normally get? (Nothing changes, you just annoy the person you’re whining about or to, etc.)

We’re not the only ones who can fall into a bad habit of complaining. Today we’ll look at what happened once the Israelites left slavery in Egypt and started experiencing freedom. It wasn’t as easy as they’d hoped! They whined about food and water and even wanted to go back to slavery in Egypt. Let’s see what we can learn from them, from their leader Moses, and from the response of our perfect and loving God.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Step 4:

Materials Needed:

  • Internet access
  • Whiteboard and marker (or a screenshared document)
  • Index cards
  • Pens/pencils

If your class is meeting online, invite your students to bring supplies with them to class.

The thing about the Israelites’ complaining is that they were complaining about a legitimate problem. They NEEDED water to live. It’s not like they were asking for limos to drive them to the promised land.

  • So, what was the problem with the Israelites’ complaining? (They only complained about the problem, they didn’t turn to God. They didn’t look for the solution.)

The Israelites both had legitimate problems that needed to be solved, but they chose to complain. Moses looked for a solution. God doesn’t expect us to ignore the problems in our lives. God expects us to turn to Him and to do our part in solving the problem. Moses’ example teaches us to pray and then act according to God’s will. Let’s practice solving a problem like Moses did.

Distribute supplies (or invite students to have them ready at home). Write the following steps to problem solving on the board (or screenshared document) and ask your class to copy them as you write:

Anti-Whine Strategy

  • Pray about the problem.
  • Listen for God’s response.
  • Receive God’s provision.
  • Rejoice in what God has done/is doing.
  • Encourage others in similar situations.

Invite your class to commit to turning away from complaining when a problem comes up and instead turn to God for guidance on how to react. Have them turn their index card over and write a problem they are facing in their lives right now. Encourage them to spend this week following the Anti-Whine Strategy they copied down on the opposite side of their index card.

End in prayer, asking God to help all of you notice times when you slip into complaining. Ask God to help you turn to Him first when a problem arises. Ask God to help you discern how He’s calling you to receive His answer and participate in His solution.

Spread the word

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