Race car driver Helio Castroneves crossed the finish line first in a race in Edmonton, Alberta this past weekend. However, race officials cited him for blocking, and with the ensuing penalty, he officially ended up in 10^th place.

This ruling angered Castroneves, who stormed from his car to confront race officials. He even grabbed one official by the collar and shook him. All of this drama was caught on camera and replayed over and over on news and sports programs across the country.

One news reporter tried to put a positive spin on what happened, noting the obvious passion that Castroneves has for his sport.

Passion and zeal are certainly desirable qualities to have in our lives. However, we must always strive to control our enthusiasm and channel it in positive ways. Zeal and passion were quite evident in the life of Jesus (John 2:13-17), but he was always in control of his actions.

Part of the evidence of a life of faith is having self-control (Gal.5:22-23). If we lose control, we lose the ability to influence people in a positive manner. If we are not careful, our out-of-control passions could cause us to completely lose our way.