Scripture: Numbers 10-11
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God organized the Israelites to journey towards the Promised Land.
- Students will learn God gives us other people to help do His work.
- Students will learn sometimes God will give us what we want, even though we don’t need it, in order to teach us important lessons.
- Students will learn why God does not want us to whine.
Guiding Question: How can students learn why God wants us to stay positive?
Materials: None needed
Procedure: Remind students that God had just delivered the people from horrible slavery. Discuss what the people should have been grateful for instead of complaining. Ask the students how all of the complaining might have affected Moses and Aaron and their leadership. What about Joshua, who was in training to become the next leader? What about the people themselves? Ask the students what things they complain and whine about a lot. What should they be grateful for instead? Explain that sometimes God wants to teach us important lessons so sometimes he gives us something he knows we need to deal with or grow through in order to learn a lesson. God will provide us with the provisions and people we need in order to get through tough times and we should be grateful for that.
Introduce the activity. Review Philippians 2:14. Tell the students you want them to come up with ideas for a fun class activity/field trip. No matter what they say, respond by saying something positive, but then start whining about some aspect of the idea – preferably in a whiny tone of voice. Keep going until most of the class has suggested an idea or when they become frustrated but not to point of real anger or tears. Discuss how your whining made them feel and why God doesn’t want us to whine either.
Additional Questions: How can students learn to stay positive?
Supplemental Activity: As a class, have the students come up with ways to remain positive in different situations such as not going on the field trip the want, not being able to buy a new game, not being able to hang out with a friend, etc.