Nine months ago when you entered OCS as an Officer Cadet, we
all knew the challenges ahead of you would be greater than what they would be
for others. Over and over again, we saw
you reaching out to the one who is above all when things got humanly impossible. Over and over again we saw you rising above
your circumstances in the power of God.
To me, you are the perfect example of the Eagle Christian, who rides on
the wind of the Holy Spirit and reaches the peaks no one could ever reach by
themselves. The lyrics of “Up where we
belong” from An Officer and a Gentleman speaks exactly of your journey through
OCS, and the presence of God seeing you through it all, to this day;
Love lifts us up where we belong
Where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lifts us up where we belong
Far from the world below
Up where the clear
winds blow…
You know what really fills my heart? It is your inner journey with the Lord during
the last nine months, which got stronger with every passing day… listening to
your JCC experience was like witnessing the Exodus of the Israelites through the desert; when He parted the red
sea, fed them with manna from heaven and quenched their thirst with water from
the rock. HE made sure you were in the
company of men of God during the nine months in OCS and during JCC… What you experienced is too good to be
coincidences!!!
I thought when you enlisted it would be my job to support you
spiritually, but guess what? You
nourished me spiritually instead!!! I
watched you putting HIM first in your life, even when you came home for the
weekends. Pleasing the Lord comes
naturally to you, and how I wish I was more like you. You inspire me more than you would ever know… Yes, we do celebrate your commissioning as an
Officer of the SAF, but my real reason for celebration today is you not losing
your identity as a Man of God. I
strongly believe it is because of soldiers like you that God’s hand would be
upon this nation. As I look to the
future, I can only be excited about what HE has in store for you.
So what do I say to a real man of God on a day like
this? Nothing much, except that you have
taught me more than I could ever teach you…
that your faith, your trust in God really challenges me every day, that
the fire in your heart for God makes me hunger to have the same fire in my
heart as well… That reminds me, I do have something to say to you… please don’t
change, ever… you are perfect the way you are.
Super proud of you 2LT Subodha Perera. Love you loads. Stay Blessed and a Blessing.
Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid
of them.
The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for
you,
as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in
the wilderness.
There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father
carries his son,
all the way you went until you reached this place.
(Deuteronomy 1:29 -31)
