Today marks 39 years since the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. 60 days prior, Mt. St. Helen had be hit by hundreds of tremors, and the north face of the mountain had deformed over 500 feet. On May 18, 1980, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake dislodged the north face of the mountain, sending a quarter cubic mile of rock down the mountain, and unleashing an unprecedented lateral steam blast. Over 200 square miles of forest was destroyed, and 57 people were killed.
Initially, it was thought by some that the mountain, and the surrounding area, would be a wasteland for a hundred year or more. But Mt. St. Helens wasn't done surprising us yet. I made this photo down in the black zone back in 2013. As you can see, the place is alive. They say that the post eruption ecosystem is actually more diverse than it was before the eruption. And it's not just plant life. The Elk population doubled in the years following the May 18 eruption.
God's in the business of restoring things. We see it clearly here at Mt. St. Helens. And He can do the same in our own lives. That's just awesome.