Make it bold, make it double the point size of the body text, change the typestyle, and you have contrast. Now it looks like a headline. Now it grabs your attention, says read me, and entices you to read the rest of the story. Achieve contrast through size, alignment, color, shape, etc. Don't be timid.
Type reversed out of a pale blue box has no contrast.
Make the box dark blue with that white type and things start to pop. Use a bold sans serif type for headlines and a serif for body text. The type experts at Monotype present this article for type beginners on how to successfully mix typefaces, especially serif and sans serif faces. Make it big, really big. Use an exaggerated drop cap or enlarge a single piece of clip art to make a statement.