Idle words?

I have had several interesting experiences this past week in which I and (Christ in me) was put to the test. It seems like the more we try to shed our Christian garment sometimes the more Jesus needs to use us to shine in the world. I give this as example:
I was eating out with some friends and the language had gotten worse and worse to the point of embarrassment. I had not spoken up (although I could tell another member of the group was offended by the language). Then, one of the girls in the group (who was also one of the most profane speakers) turned to me and said, "Will, I know you are a Christian. I have an f*&%& question. What possible difference can it make to God if I swear and cuss? I mean I like God, so why should it bother Him if I curse? If I drop my French book on my foot and say #*c&, why would that bother God?"

She wasn't asking to be rude or arrogant or mean...she just wanted to know. The situation caught me off guard a bit: most people I have met in my world just assume it is wrong to curse. They may do it, but they acknowledge it is a vice. This young lady's attitude was not argumentative or arrogant but more apathetic, "What's the big deal?"
So what is the big deal about sins that don't physically hurt others? What is the big deal about excess, profanity, drunkenness, pornography, etc? The verse that came to my mind in my conversation with this friend was Romans 14:7, "For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself."

While arguments could be made individually against all the sins mentioned above, I think one of the best ones to make with people engrossed in sin is one of influence. No reasonable adult wants little children to be profane, sex-crazed, drunken and foolish-talking. It is much easier to teach against these destructive habits when not practicing them in one's own life. While we obviously think of teaching children by example, we sometimes fail to see that we influence the adults around us as well. Remember, no one lives in a vacuum. The next idle word that falls might influence someone for a lifetime.

be blessed,
Will