5-Minute Devotions for Teens: A Guide to God and Mental Health

by Laura L. Smith

5-Minute Devotions for A Guide to God and Mental Health removes the stigma on mental health and advises Christian teens what they can do when they are depressed and anxious. Scattered throughout the book are tips to help teens maintain good mental health practices such as meditation, disconnecting from social media and technology, saying affirmations, and much more.

Each day includes a Scripture verse, short devotional, and a prayer or prompt.

This 100-day devotional will help teens 13 to 17 years

deal with mental health issues, depression, and/or anxiety.re-enter normalcy after the COVID-19 pandemic.develop an authentic relationship with God and deepen their faith.5-Minute Devotions for Teens is an affordable resource that can be read again and again.

Genres: Devotional

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 6, 2022

About the author

Laura L. Smith lis a best-selling author and speaker. She loves Jesus, her husband, her four kiddos, music,books, coffee, France, and chocolate. Smith lives in the college town of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

Reviews

[Kasey Giard · Rating 5 out of 5]

More great stuff by a great author. This is a super quick read-- definitely something you could do in 5 minutes a day. I love how foundational yet deep each devotion is.

This book features 100 short devotional sessions, each taking up one page with some extra pages in the back for notes. Each session begins with a verse followed by a few paragraphs about how the verse applies to our lives. Smith's wisdom is practical and easy to understand. Are you taking care of your body? Are you practicing gratitude? Why does this matter to our faith?

Each session closes with a prayer or journal prompt to help readers process the lesson and make it their own. This would make a great gift for a teen looking to more deeply explore their faith practice.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of, 5-Minute Devotions for Teens, by Laura L. Smith. This book is 100 days worth of 5 minute devotions for teenagers. Being a teenager is hard, this book helps to center your self, and deal with, anxiety, stress, and much more.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book of devotions includes 100 short readings. The readings are all a page long, beginning with a Bible verse, sharing thoughts and advice, and concluding with a prayer or application idea. This will be fine for many teens, but I found it rather shallow, and although the mental health focus flows out of the biblical basis in a helpful way, it's best for teens with very minor mental health issues. If someone is dealing with stress, low-grade anxiety, and some feelings of discouragement or mild depression, this could be just the right thing, but someone dealing with serious mental illness would most likely find the simplistic advice frustrating.

I wondered if I was being too hard on this book as an adult reader, but the truth is that I would have liked it far less when I was a teenager. I was nowhere close to normal, so take all of that with a grain of salt, but I would have been frustrated with the shallow spirituality and the big emphasis on how amazing God thinks you are. It's important for teens to know that God loves them, that He created them for a purpose, and that He delights in them. Still, this book focuses on warm, fuzzy feelings to the exclusion of other parts of biblical theology, when the harder parts can lead to the deepest hope and freedom.

Of course, many teenagers aren't looking for anything theological in nature, and many parents and grandparents will be happy for their teens to be reading anything about Jesus at all. Still, teens who are already grounded in their faith are better off choosing a different resource that takes a more balanced view of theology, life, and the human condition. The author talks about how we aren't perfect, and about how we "make mistakes," but even though she does articulate the gospel occasionally, she only uses the word "sin" in one out of 100 readings. This book focuses on feeling good about yourself and feeling loved, and even when the author does write about the importance of repenting and asking forgiveness for wrong things you've done, it's all written from an emotionally therapeutic perspective that's more about how you feel than about God, or the people you may have wronged.

Nothing that the author says is inherently wrong, but it's unbalanced without more context, and it encourages teens to feel amazing in a way that will feel unattainable and frustrating to many teens who are dealing with serious, appropriate feelings of guilt. This book would need a deeper grounding in the gospel to help actually free teens from guilt and help them know that when they place their faith in Christ they are truly, completely, forever forgiven. They’re not forgiven just because God thinks they're amazing, but because Jesus paid for their sin and there is no more debt to pay. They’re free, and they remain free, even when they don’t feel special, happy, and amazing. Again, this book DOES share the gospel, but it’s never the centerpiece, and what the author does say about the cross falls short because there isn’t a serious enough acknowledgement of sin and moral guilt.

That leads into my other critique, which is that this book doesn’t create enough space for teens who are dealing with acute mental suffering. The focus on mental health is pretty basic, and although there’s a lot of great advice about handling negative thoughts, taking care of your body and mind through healthy eating and physical activity, and finding your purpose in God and not what your peers think of you, there’s no real acknowledgment of people who are suffering from complex, painful mental issues, and who aren’t going to see a major change from making minor life adjustments.

Part of why I was highly interested in theology as a teenager is because I was suffering so much. My undiagnosed OCD, general anxiety, and depression raised all kinds of complex theological and existential questions for me, and I wanted answers. I wanted help, and I wanted to make sense of my life. I would never have expected a simple, short book like this to grapple with that level of complexity, but the author should have acknowledged some of the really hard questions that many teens ask about suffering, and should have spoken to kids who are in more extreme and difficult life circumstances.

Overall, this book is fine. Other people will really like it and find it helpful, and it can be a good introduction for a teen who is curious about faith or beginning to make their own faith commitment, especially if they are interested in seeing the connection between how God created them and how they can improve their mental well-being. There’s good advice here, and there are helpful perspectives, but it could have been a lot better.

I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

[Rob Seabrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading through this devotional, specifically written for young adults, it is clear that the author has an understanding of teens, the issues and challenges that they face. Often, for young adults growing up with faith, or at the very least in a Christian home, these challenges can be compounded. This knowledge and experience is coupled with the author’s clear vision as to what they may need to hear and how to apply the Bible to their lives.
The particular focus of this devotional is mental health, maintaining a sound perspective on life and supporting those who may struggle. It is written in a knowledge that Jesus can and does turn up to edify and love all people, especially those who are in a place of need. There is also much good practical advice and support from experts in the field.
The daily devotions are short, easy to read in a friendly style that makes them feel quite personal. There is a large section for notes to encourage the reader to turn it into a notebook that can be returned to again and again.
See more reviews of Christian books at https://www.robseabrook.com/category/...

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding book for teens, as well as their parents or other adults. I cannot say enough good things about it. There are 100 devotions, which are each 1 page long, so are short, relevant and to the point. The information provided are a Bible verse and interesting, applicable thoughts. They relate especially to teen/young adult issues. One time my teen and I were discussing a situation, and the devotion addressed that topic! The Scripture and comments are very encouraging. Here is a sample of an interesting statement, '"Every morning when you wake up, new baby nerve cells have been born while you were sleeping that are there at your disposal to be used in tearing down toxic thoughts and rebuilding healthy thoughts"' according to Dr. Caroline Leaf, a neuroscientist. I consider this book to be valuable and a keeper. I would be eager to read anything else from the author.
I appreciate being able to read this from the author, publisher and NetGalley. My thoughts are my own.

[Andrea Comparato · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 5-Minute Devotions for Teens, by Laura Smith, is the perfect guide for teens who are facing the stresses of teenage life. Short, but emotionally deep, Laura Smith incorporates the Bible with the troubles the reader may be facing. Smith really can relate to the troubles of teens and knows how to speak to their hearts. The messages are relayed in short paragraphs so the teen doesn't have to read too much to get to the point.

I recommend this for a gift for any teen. I love how it relates directly to them and can be used as a day to day guide, or a reference to a specific problem. It truly reminds them that in a chaotic world filled with rudeness, that God is always there and will get them through anything as long as they retain their faith and commitment to serving God.

Great straight read, or reference. Inscriptions Books recommends!

[Malissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great tool book! the format, the simplicity and the style of each passage.
Its easy to read, and it deals with issues teenagers are facing, while keeping the biblical word of God into it.

This is for the new generation that do get to deal and process these feelings properly, while feeling support by caregivers and God.

I highly recommend this book!

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful guide for teens, their families and pretty much everyone. A good read

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Live this devotional and will use again worth my kids. Don’t be fooled by the title…this book is for everyone.