Jim Carrey is one of kind. Well, we all are, right? But so often we see others in monochrome and are blind to the enormous palette of color that makes every one of us living miracles of God’s affection. In Carrey’s case, the spectrum is broad to the point of shocking, for his zany comic personas are mirrored by tremendous personal tragedy, the humility that comes from suffering and sorrow, and the utter sincerity of an old soul who loves life and knows grace. Hard to believe, perhaps, but the nut that gave us Ace Ventura on screen also gives himself to others as a co-suffering patron and benefactor. Alongside his skill as a Golden Globe-winning actor (“Man on the Moon” and “The Truman Show”), Carrey’s oil paintings and sculptures are larger-than-life expressions of his depth as a beautiful man. And this includes his faith. Jim Carrey has spent many years consciously listening to God and one can imagine that the conversations in “Bruce Almighty” aren’t entirely fictional. And then there’s Christ specifically. No, he might not know or commit to the Nicene Creed (do you?), but his words and his art about Jesus are worth hearing and sharing … so I am. Enjoy.

I Needed Color ~ Jim Carrey from Passion Academy on Vimeo.

“The energy that surrounds Jesus is electric. I don’t know if Jesus is real, I don’t know if he lived, I don’t know what he means. But the paintings of Jesus are really my desire to convey Christ-consciousness. I wanted you to have the feeling when you looked into his eyes that he was accepting of who you are. I wanted him to be able to stare at you and heal you from the painting. You can find every race in the face of Jesus, and I think that’s how every race imagines Jesus–they imagine him as their own.” (“I Needed Color” – Jim Carrey)

“Ultimately, I believe that suffering leads to salvation, and in fact, it’s the only way. We have to somehow accept, and not deny, but feel our suffering and feel our losses. And then we make one of two decisions. We either decide to go through the gate of resentment–which leads to vengeance, which leads to self harm, which leads to harm of others–or we go through the gate of forgiveness–which leads to grace … just as Christ did on the Cross. He suffered terribly and was broken by it, to the point of doubt and a feeling of absolute abandonment, which all of you have felt, and there was a decision to be made. And the decision was to look upon the people who were causing that suffering–or the situation that was causing that suffering–with compassion and forgiveness. And that’s what opens the gates of heaven for all of us.” (Homeboy Industries).